My Favorite Summer Fails

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mom summer failsLabor Day is upon us. Summer, that magical time of freedom and possibility, is over. And somehow, yet again, the massive to-do list I developed before Memorial Day is frighteningly incomplete.

Rather than dwell on the list’s lengthy remains, I’ve decided to celebrate my favorite summer fails and the unforeseen joys of falling flat.

  1. Fail #1: Potty Training. Most reasons for potty training are not that compelling to me, especially when facing summer travel and gas station bathrooms. And while I greatly respect the mom wearing the Dora potty seat on her elbow at Mt. Rushmore…gross! So despite the significant cost of diapers and baby No. 3 due this fall, I quickly lost the motivation to spend my days in the bathroom with the 2-year-old. However, the 5-year-old knew of my intentions and took it upon himself to start the process. His intense bathroom lectures and passionate anatomy lessons – and her rapt attention to them – gave us many giggles, even if no actual progress was made. 
  2. Fail #2: Lego Reunification. What started out as a carefully contained, organized Lego collection has devolved into a chaotic landfill of colorful blocks. In a weird twist of pregnancy nesting, I became convinced that straightening this mess would ensure our preparedness for parenting three children. Even though the 5-year-old and I bonded over finding missing pieces and high-fived the completion of long-lost sets, I might’ve taken it a bit too far. I realized it might be time to give up the fight when many a meal was delayed, dirty diaper ignored, and toddler nudity unnoticed because Mommy needed to find “JUST ONE MORE PIECE!!” Once I quieted this inner control freak, I was able to focus on the shared joy of accomplishment with my future kindergartener. 
  3. Fail #3: Sleep Independence. One day, they’ll sleep alone. All night, every night. And I will miss these nights of interrupted sleep, teeth grinding medleys, and soft snores. 
  4. Fail #4: The Shifting Bedtime. I’m always impressed when we visit friends and their kids dutifully head to bed at a recognized and consistent bedtime. It renews my commitment to find that consistency. But summer was not the time for us to launch such an endeavor. Because fireflies. Fireworks. Family visits. Just plain fun. And even though I recommitted to such plans when the following morning’s meltdowns arrived, there we’d be again that night, enjoying our ice cream sugar rush under the stars and repeating our “10 more minutes” mantra. Totally worth it. 
  5. Fail #5: Budget Mastery. As we tighten our financial belts before becoming a family of five, I was determined to perfect my penny-pinching in this final trimester. It was the road trips that proved far too mighty for my intended thriftiness, despite all the PBJs and hot dogs that sustained us. The biblical flood in our basement (Beaverdale for life!) didn’t help either. But even as we hold our breath until the credit card period closes, I wouldn’t trade any of our national park memories for the extra money in the bank. (I’ll need to reread these words many times in the coming months.)

So we’ve left plenty undone and unconquered this summer. But there was illness. There was basement clean-up. There were…other things to do. Better things. We said yes to those instead, and that’s OK. I’m choosing not to spend our final days of summer regretting the misses when the hits were just so good.

Besides, now my fall to do list is ready to go!

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