What would you do if you only had five days with your kids; if on the sixth day their lives changed in a way that made their focus less about spending time with you and more about education and all of its trappings. I want to live these last days in a way that carves memories into their minds. I want the mantra of school year 2013-14 to be, “remember that time when we… I wonder what we’re going to do next break.”
So, what would you do? What are good memories made of? Is it simple time with family? Is it adventure? Is it holding hands as we go into the theater, reaching out your hand for the popcorn discount card and striding up to the register to buy something all by yourself? Is it bowling? Is it splashing around in the pool and seeing who can hold their breath the longest? Maybe it is the big things–wondering at the majesty of sea life, the sharp turns of a go cart edging towards the finish line, Legoland. I suppose it is different for each kid; each age. Making all three happy seems an impossibility.
So what can I do? I can give them my hours. I can segment a time of day where it is about me and the work I need to get done and allocate the rest to the children. I can listen. I can ask them what makes them happy and find a way to get as close to that as possible. It is what I should do. At least, that’s what the manual said.