A PERFECT SUMMER

A PERFECT SUMMER

I’ll always remember that perfect summer when I felt my role as a mother was fulfilled.  Our days were simple but memorable.  We had a gray Pontiac Catalina Convertible with leather seats. (The seven of us had actually driven in it from Ohio to Florida so we could spend Thanksgiving vacation at the beach)

The following summer after the Florida trip we joined a swim club which was about 25 minutes away from our home. Every weekday I had possession of the convertible to drive the five kids to enjoy the day at the pool.  We packed a lunch and snacks and returned home in time to have dinner ready for Dad. On the way to the pool with the top down we went through an underpass. The kids always screamed to make a loud echoing sound and did the same on the way back. How they loved that.

We then returned home to our immaculate house, they all played or watched television and I cooked dinner.

After dinner, they all said “Can we go to Coventry?’ The seven of us would pile in the convertible again for huge cones of homemade ice cream in the little town of Coventry. Every one of them remembers those happy times that were so perfect for us all.

I, myself, remember them because I had so organized everything in those days, that everything fell into place and I took enormous pride in my accomplishments. Although I might sound like a slave driver, the kids were very agreeable to the arrangements.

Here’s how I did it.  Every morning when we woke up, the oldest brought me a cup of coffee and the morning paper to my bed. I have never started my day without a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper, I can’t function without that routine.  Each of the five cleaned up their rooms and with the upstairs finished we all went downstairs. The kids had their breakfast while I did all the preparations for making dinner when we returned home.  Lunch was packed, downstairs was cleaned and we were off by 10 o’clock.  They met with their friends and had great times everyday. I would show off my dives (they loved that) and then I would settle down to my favorite pastime, reading. We returned home by 4:00.

As I said, it was truly a perfect summer. That’s the way I remember it. I’d be interested to find out if the little ones remember it the same way.