June & The End of the School Year: What Fresh Hell is This?

I’ve always loved the month of June. It’s finally nice here in Canada, summer is on the horizon, bringing with it the prospect of long, sun-drenched days, warm nights and open windows. The air thaws your bones after a dreary winter and rainy spring. Everyone seems happy and relaxed.

That is, except for every parent, everywhere.

As soon as you become a parent, you become well-acquainted with the dreaded end-of-the-year madness and June no longer seems so enchanting.

Why is that? Well, it might be partly because your kids’ school seems to think it would be charming to put a fun fair and a movie night during the same week as all their recitals, concerts and art shows. It could also be the numerous field trips you need to fill out forms for, pay for and keep track of. Or maybe it’s the countless “Spirit Days” you have to prep and plan for. (Dress Like a Literary Character Day and Decades Day, I’m looking disapprovingly at you.) 

Hell hath no fury like a 6-year-old who misses Crazy Hair Day. I speak from experience on that one.

If that’s not enough, there are numerous birthday parties because, for some reason, all of your kids’ friends are born in June. The new extracurricular activities have started up. Teacher gifts need to be selected and bought. And nobody has anything to wear because they’ve all outgrown last year’s wardrobe and footwear.

Ah, June.

I absolutely love my kids’ school, their teachers and all the opportunities they have. I know they’re extremely fortunate. I know everyone at the school works hard and puts a lot of thought and hours into everything they do for the kids. And my kids have worked hard all year at their extracurriculars and are thrilled to finally perform or show us their 8-months of talent. I am truly a big fan of it all.

But I’m also dead tired.

By now, parents have made it through a long year of report cards and projects and assignments. If you’re lucky, you haven’t had too many phone calls from the office or “special meetings” with teachers. You’ve rushed around on multiple weeknights every week since September, taking your kids to this and that so they’re well-rounded, keeping active, making friends and having fun.

You’ve spent nights worrying about their reading, their social development (Are they fighting with their best friend? What’s happening there?), wondering why they’re moody and arguing with their siblings so much. You’ve spent your days writing down everything in your giant ‘Mom Calendar’ or coordinating your phone with your partner, texting back and forth several times a day to remind one another about all. the. things.

It’s been a long nine months. It’s time for a break.

But first? Concerts. Kindergarten graduation. Parent council meetings. Play Day. Don’t forget when pizza day ends so your kid doesn’t go to school without a lunch. (Been there. Mom of the Year has been claimed, guys.)

And, if in between the schedules and costume changes and scrambling you can also spend some time together, you sure as heck better enjoy the weather, because we’ve only got three months of it to take advantage of.

The nice thing is, as soon as June is over, as soon as your last scheduled event happens, you’ve got one of the best stretches ahead of you: Sleeping in. Family vacations. Ice cream for lunch, because why not? Freckled noses. Freezie-stained chins and goofy, happy smiles. Quality time, lazy mornings, afternoon naps and beach days.

And if it only happens on the weekends or in the evenings because you have to work and the kids are going to camps, it all seems okay because nobody is on a hectic schedule and tomorrow is another long, warm, bright day.

Now if I can just figure out how to tackle Mythology Day and Medieval Day without having to spend an arm and a leg, I’ll be golden.