TGSIO - Thank God School Is Out! Yes, I confess, I am super excited about the start of summer vacation and I love having my kids at home. I am one of the very few moms who openly admits how much I hate the morning rush, how sick I am of driving around 24/7 from school to soccer fields, from volleyball gyms straight to birthday parties. How I dislike watching my kids being stressed out of their minds with school work and projects, sports tryouts, and lunch time social drama. I love the fact that now I am in total control, (yes, have been called a control freak before), I am planning our days out, we can be spontaneous and do fun stuff without bedtime restrictions.

Raising 3 children living in San Diego and probably anywhere else in the United States means that you are nothing else but a glorified taxi driver. There are no school buses, no public transportation at all in our neighborhoods. You are it! You take them to school each morning and pick them up each afternoon. For a miserable two years, (out of the less miserable 18 years and still counting) my children were in 3 different schools, driving time totaling in 2 hours just to get them there and back. Then came all the sports and after school activities, 3 kids, 2 sports each plus dance classes, you do the math. By the time I dropped all the kids off, each one on different fields, it was time to pick the first one up and transport him/her to the next venue. You might think I am exaggerating but trust me, those two years were a sheer nightmare. I even tried carpooling with other moms, except I seemed to be the only one driving. All The Time! Ending up distributing 6 or 7 kids daily, listening to migraine-inducing arguments between my free spirited oldest daughter and the obnoxious homophobic carpool kid ignoring the nice gay boy we often picked up along the way. His parents clearly did not carpool or drive him anywhere. Have you ever driven on a school field trip before? Try a group of 6 year-olds who will tell you anything. They talk constantly. They spill the beans about why dad slept on the couch last night. Or the little girl whose mom fell asleep at the wheel and hit a tree with her in the car. I had to assure her a few times that I was not sleepy at all and she was in good hands and we will make it to the Birch Aquarium after all. 

I remember growing up in Budapest, taking public transportation at the age of 9. Few tram stops to my school then about 5 minutes walking. Also took myself to my own dance rehearsals 3 times a week, no parent driving needed. We drive our kids to their play-dates, to the movies, we sit in our cars dozing off in our pj's with fellow parents late at night in front of the high school waiting for our kids to emerge after a school dance. We have several sports practices during the week, games each weekend far far away from home in deserted towns where no one goes but soccer moms. We have to sign up for snacks, for carrying ice, for carrying the first aid kits or volunteering to become the team manager....trust me, it was a complete accident. Just like I accidentally volunteered to become room mom in my youngest child's second grade class. The third time around I should have known better. After years of involuntary volunteering in classrooms teaching math, reading with kids, or doing whatever the teacher did not want to do, I should have been smarter. I must love punishment. Constantly answering silly questions I have already explained in my emails to the parents or reading the "fantastic" suggestions of some busy bee moms who did not sign up to help but offer their unsolicited advice on everything. Too bad, I was not going to run a democratic classroom, no time to indulge in useless conversations about how many eggs should we decorate for the Spring party or should we sign our name on the teacher's birthday card with a red marker or a blue one. Black marker it is people, get a life!

I do not remember my parents ever being required to help in our schools. They never had to help us with our projects or school work. Not here, not in America. It is a contest. Some eager moms and dads love to show off their architectural background by building the perfect leprechaun trap or mission replica, two of my most hated projects. If you are lucky enough to have multiple children, you will do the same projects over and over again.  I have to admit, I did recycle a few and I do not feel ashamed about it at all. By your third child you are burnt out. You just don't care anymore. You are even OK if you only get the Asian F on your project (equivalent of a solid B). If I have to be involved with one more despicable school project, like this year's all time "favorites", the rubber band car or the rocket parachute, I will commit suicide. Teachers! We do not like to do projects! We do not think it is fun! Oh well, the stress if finally over. Or at least it is over for a couple of months. So, TGSIO to every fantastic mom and dad out there! We did it, we survived another school year! Enjoy the summer break, have fun, read our blog and follow us on our travels back to Europe! #mommyknowsbest