Summer Activities and Memories Made

It's a little more than two weeks before school starts and I'm running out of activities for the kids. We've done the water park, lake house, Boy Scout camp, beach, city pool, library reading program, VBS, art camp, excursions to the dog park, drifted around on a bay cruise, and seen five movies.



Last night my son tried on his dad's suit. In a hurry to grow up.

OK, I begged them to get a decent photo. My daughter looks pained doesn't she?

Biting on worms.



Up on ski's.

When I was a kid my mom's answer to summer was, "go out and play. Be home by dinner." There was a huge field behind our house where the neighborhood kids, my brother and I would play all kinds of games. Hide and seek, pirates, Indiana Jones, and assorted other imaginary games. But what I remember most was climbing a huge sycamore tree, riding on a piece of cardboard down a hill, and putting miles on my green Schwinn bike. The good old days pre-DVR, cable, Game Boy, IPod, Xbox, $100 earphones, and waterproof, decorated Band-Aids.

One thing that bridged my childhood and my children's has been a heated game of Monopoly. It is a game where experience and wisdom comes in handy. As I bought property, my kids scolded me for, "spending all of my money." When I bought Park Place and Boardwalk, they chided, "no one lands on those. What a waste." Well, a few hours later they were begging me for mercy or at least a payment plan.

But this summer hasn't been all fun and games for my kids. They have started taping into the retiree and young parent market. Our daughter has been babysitting typically earning $60 a night. Plus, she is working on her reading program for her freshman year. She has to read six short stories with worksheets and read a book of her choice. The short stories range from Marigolds by Eugenia Collier to The Last Rung on the Ladder by Stephen King. Our son has been spreading fertilizer and mowing. OK, not everything has gotten easier for today's kids.

And as hectic as this summer has been, I'm truly dreading next summer when my daughter will be taking driver's education.

I can't believe my husband and I are on the downhill side of parenting, albeit probably the most challenging years. Teenage crushes, driving, attitudes, making or not making school sports teams, dating, homecoming, and acne. It's not going to be easy and I'll probably have to medicate my husband for parts of it, but we will struggle through. And when all is done we can apply our discretionary money to trips instead of volleyball knee pads and t-shirts with sharks on them.

Wondering if beating my kids in Monopoly will scar them for life?

The Wondering Texan