In two days I’ll be sitting in Logan Airport, looking for ways to kill time with my toddler. Behind me will be the sand and the sea, and our month-long odyssey of summer travel will be just about over.
We’re headed back to the flatlands of Illinois, where my husband is already waiting for us. He put together our new TV stand, cleaned the bathrooms and hunted down as many of crickets hiding in our living room as he can capture.
And I’m torn.
On one hand, a month of Sundays in other people’s homes, sharing space with in-laws and my extended family, leaves me more than ready to get back to my own environment - one in which I do not have to constantly monitor The Poo’s behavior. At home she can roam free, leaving me to do the same.
Watching an energetic 2.5-year-old like a hawk for 30 days is exhausting, I tell you.
But at the same time, I’m leaving behind the beauty of the ocean. I’ve seen Cape Cod through new eyes this year, eyes burned with the image of the treeless prairie. The undulating corn field outside my kitchen window has its own peculiar charm, but nothing can compare to the lush vegetation of the tip of the East Coast.
Sharing this spot with my daughter imbued the Cape with new meaning. Last year she was only 18 months old, and what a difference this year. This summer she was able to swim and collect shells right beside me, and search for hermit crabs and other sea creatures with her cousins.
Now it is time for life to resume, with chores and pre-school and my husband back in the thick of his doctoral program. As good as it will be to get home, I find myself close to wistful tears as I contemplate another year in ordinary time.
[tags]kids, children, parents, vacation, monitoring, summer, relaxation[/tags]
Photo graciously provided by the author, through a Creative Commons license, some rights reserved
3 responses so far ↓
Slouching Mom // Jul 30, 2007 at 2:18 pm
“another year in ordinary time”
Lovely. I understand.
mcmilker // Jul 31, 2007 at 7:05 am
well put! But the memories will pop up from time to time to make the ordinary a little less so.
Leeanthro // Jul 31, 2007 at 8:47 am
I feel the same way. I haven’t had a getaway, but I have been on maternity leave. It was difficult to leave my daughter when she was an infant and will be the same to leave my son. But this summer I spent with my 2-turned-3-year old. We did a lot of fun things together, but mainly we just got to hang out together. I think we will both be sad and have withdrawal when I go back to work.
Next summer I may take some time off to vacation at home with them. Go to the pool and the park. Stay in our jammies all day. Drink lemonade and eat popsicles in the backyard.
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