I love schedules. I like to know what will happen and when it's going to happen. Summer is when the known schedule is thrown out and replaced with an overwhelming number of smaller schedules: the VBS schedule; the GA camp schedule; the youth camp schedule; the kid's camp schedule; the band camp schedule; the vacation schedule. And all of those have to be woven into work schedules for Mr. & Mrs. H and our eldest.
In a little over a week, school will start and 2 of my children will be back on a schedule that I am involved in: I take them to school; I go to work; I pick them up; we all go home. (Fridays, skip the work part.) My eldest's schedule will no longer involve me on a daily basis. It will intersect mine on selected weekends and holidays. So far, I'm okay with that. But I'm wondering how okay I'll be when that room is empty for a week or 2 or (gulp!) even more.
Mr. H and I have always maintained that our responsibilty is to raise adults, not children. In essence, that means our goal is to eventually send our kids into the world fully capable of fending for themselves. We give them responsibilities, because that's real life. We let them figure some stuff out for themselves, because that's real life, too. Well, real life is about to make itself known in a whole new way for our family. I hope my schedule is ready for it.
I'm with you on the schedules - it makes life easier, especially with kids. I like what you said about raising adults - I had never really thought about it that way but it's a good philosophy.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck with the approaching empty nest.