Summer: A Love/Hate Relationship

• I love the sunshine. I love that the grass is green and the trees are full and the sky is blue. Summer is colorful, and I do love color. However, I do not love the angry red of my skin after it has been exposed to the brilliant gold sunshine. Nor do I love the emerald green grass that grows too fast for us to keep it as groomed as we would like.

• Swimming! Nothing can bring back childish enthusiasm quite like a dive in a cool blue swimming pool. Of course the obvious downside of swimming is the necessity of a swimsuit. Not that I would prefer to swim naked, just that I really, really hate wearing a swimsuit these days.

• Oh, how I wish I could tan. But I do not. I burn and heal and then burn some more. And I get a few more freckles. But I am happy for all of you bronzed sun worshipers. Truly, I am. And I console myself with the certainty that while I am settling for a streaky, self-applied, imitation tan, someday you will all be wrinkled, leathery toads.

• Since my kids are not yet in school, the summer does not immediately affect our routine except that it is not dark at the girls’ bedtime. I am therefore not a fan. But we have been staying outside well into the evening and allowing the girls to play (and hopefully exhaust themselves), which they love. And I suppose I have to love that, too.

• I won’t go into specifics, but we (and by “we” I really just mean Greg) do look forward to the summer movie season all year long. I am especially excited to take Rylie to her first cinema experience in the coming weeks. So, you may ask, where is the downside to this one? I will let you know in the coming weeks, after I take Rylie to her first cinema experience.

• Ladies and gentlemen, this may come as a shock to you all, but I am not a nature girl. I do not love to sweat. I do not love insects of any kind, (even you, ladybug). I have already conveyed my feelings regarding sunshine and grass. So generally, I avoid going outside. Especially in the HOT summer. But, like anything else, there are caveats. I love sitting on a porch swing in the late evening. I love lounging in a pool at any time of day. And yes, I do love taking my girls outside to discover The Great Outdoors on their own terms. Though I can’t promise that the mere buzz of flying insect won’t send each one of us running into the house.