   (from l to r, myself, me at 1 yr. with sister 3 yrs., my mother at 17 - only photos available). Today, I’m taking a step back from my usual topic matter to
address some lighter thoughts. Just a
week or so ago, your children or grandchildren, stepped outside of those big
ol’ school doors for the final time this
season, to embrace a lengthy vacation
known as the summer break or summer holidays.
Parents usually plan well ahead for such occasions by making special
care arrangements, if they are working parents, plan summer camp or day camp
outings, arrange family vacations, make plans to attend special events and
anything at all that will make these breaks especially memorable for the child
and parents alike. I recall my summer breaks in the elementary grades (K1-8).
As one of five children with a working mother who was widowed, it was
imperative that we did as many activities together as possible, not only
because it was more affordable for our mother but as a commitment to keep an
eye out for one another as a matter of love and safety. We did have a live-in couple who babysat us
while our mother was working but for the most part, my older sister and I felt
an obligation to watch out for the safety of the younger ones and to help out
with their leisure activities. This
meant swimming lessons, hiking, swimming in the summer and in the winter,
skating, tobogganing and even building snowmen.
We also enjoyed inventing games that we could play together as a
family. One such game was called
‘car’. We would all sit under our big
old maple tree in the front yard and appoint ourselves as the parents – one as
the father driver and the other as the mother.
The husband was usually the driver in those days and we took turns
playing that role. The three smaller
children sat behind us in the make believe back seat and behaved as children
usually do, singing, playing, arguing, and yes, even exclaiming ‘are we there
yet?’ You get the picture. We liked this game because we could change
the script at will and I truly believe that my sister and I became more
responsible along the way. We did get to
do our own thing as well and the babysitter took over on such occasions.
My older sister had her own friends, and occasionally, they
reluctantly agreed to let me tag along with them while they did their thing. I was too young to venture out alone but my
most memorable times were with my big sister Sherrin and her friend Judy,
riding horses, swimming, playing dress up in period costumes that were found in
a secret room above the drive shed at Judy’s house that dated back to the early
settlement days in that Region. I say that the room was secret because there
was no door to access it from the hallway and it was not even discovered until a window was noticed from the outside ,
indicating that there was a room there.
Eventually, access was discovered through a barn entrance, at which
time, they also found a tunnel that led to the lake, being an escape route in
the event of an attack during that early settlement period when the house was
built. This was an historic house that
held many secrets but our days were spent exploring and re-enacting imagined
roles. I can’t think of a richer way to
spend those leisurely days. I have never yet met a child who did not look forward to the
Summer break with great anticipation, even though they were all anxious to get
back to school in the Fall to reminisce with their friends. And this leads me to question whether or not
a two month break is a good thing or not.
Is it too long and if so, does this interrupt the learning process? Our government of the day has been
contemplating elimination of the summer break, substituting just a two week holiday
instead of the usual two months. Yes,
our kids would cram much more learning into each school year and the cost of
childcare for working parents, may be reduced, but would we be robbing them of
an important part of their childhood? So here is my question.
Should Summer break be eliminated from our children’s school year – YES
or NO, and why do you feel that way. I
welcome your comments!
My
website http://www.linnieslittlebooks.com My Facebook Page
http://facebook.com/LinniesLittleBooks My Pinterest site http://pinterest.com/linnievic My Twitter link http://twitter.com/LindaHales2 Sunshine I'll Make You
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Surprise! http://www.amazon.com/Andy-Roo-ebook/dp/B007FX94VG/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1331160548&sr=1-1 Write your post here. |
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CategoriesANTI-BULLYINGEACH CHILD IS UNIQUE! GETTING ACQUAINTED SUMMER HOLIDAYS WRITING FOR KIDS!
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