Summer Ups and Downs

The first day of summer for my six-year-old daughter E was a roller coaster. I’m sure she enjoyed being home with Mommy, but it was still an adjustment. Not having the stimulation of being at school, being around friends, and learning all of the things that they learned in a school day was really different.

The day start off like any other day where I brought my four-year-old son C to daycare before going to work. My wife ended up taking E and our one year-old son L out for a quick shopping trip. It looked like they had fun, but there seem to have been some emotions. The rest of the day seem like there were emotions also. They spent the afternoon outside playing with chalk and riding scooters and tricycle. By the time I got home, I thought they had a blast, but clearly they were ups and downs during the first day of summer.

The rest of the day was also emotional. It seem like little things would set E off and we had a hard time at night getting everyone ready for bed. We had to have a conversation about resetting and making sure that we were in control of our emotions. It’s fine to feel your feelings, but it is not fine to have tons of outburst. Again, I think it’s an adjustment and things will smooth itself out. Also, as long as she is aware of what’s happening, she’s more likely to make make the right adjustments. Hopefully, I’m right and the rest of the summer will be much smoother than the first day. If not, it’s going to be a long and hot (also implying anger…) summer.