And Yet Another Summer Comes To An End

Summer End And Yet Another Summer Comes To An End

The last long weekend of summer is before me and with it comes the sad realization that yet another summer season is coming to an end. Already, the nights feel noticeably cooler and the sun sets earlier every day; on the other hand, the days are now warm and we actually have been graced with sunshine for days before any rainfall returns. And yet, while the arrival of the Labour Day weekend harkens the approaching end for weekend barbecues and the winding down of festivals and special events around the city, what I’m really dreading is the return of school.

Sure, it’s been quite some time since I grumbled at the blaring of my alarm clock how I didn’t want to go to school. But even when I left the shelter of school life for the freedom of joining that magical group – the workforce – whenever Labour Day weekend came round, it brought back fond memories of summer as a kid and the tinge of sadness that those days where the possibilities of doing everything and nothing were now coming to an end. Since I became a father of school-age children, there’s now something else that makes me melancholy when this time of the year arrives. You see, unlike those commercials for “Back To School” sales that show the mom and dad celebrating that finally, their kids will be gone to school, their free time filled with homework assignments and extracurricular activities, I’m actually a little sad that I won’t have my kids around all the time and free to do whatever the day inspires. That’s not to say that there weren’t days during the summer break where I wished for some peace and quiet, free from those sibling arguments over who was going to role-play what part in their latest adventure or who had first dibs on the prized toy of the day. On those days, school couldn’t come soon enough. However, those moments were more the exception than the rule.

And so yesterday, as one of our last hurrahs for summer days, I took the kids downtown again by bus, especially since the commute itself was something they reveled in. Leave it to children to even find joy in something as loathsome as having to stand on the bus for the commute into town. Although there were plenty of seats to be taken, my kids would have none of it, beaming the whole while that they were allowed to stand on a bus and laughing every time the bus careened in any one direction. It was impressive to watch how the normally impassive commuters soon turned into relaxed, smiling individuals after taking in the spectacle of my kids’ giddy reactions to the lumbering movements of the city bus. It’s unfortunate that as a society, we really don’t appreciate what a positive impact children have on us, regardless of whether they’re our own or not.

Touring the downtown core, I reminisced about what the city looked like when I was their age and I couldn’t help but wonder what transformations lay ahead to change the city from what they saw now to what it will be like when they themselves become working commuters. It was also interesting to see what sights caught their attention and curiosity to learn more. It certainly was a learning experience for them when they saw a homeless man asking for spare change; the idea that there were people where we lived who had no home bothered them for a moment, as it should. But the lesson I taught them from seeing that, of learning to appreciate what you have made it worthwhile. Besides, unlike some parents, I don’t want to shelter my children from such truths about our society. I’d rather they understand that our city or country does have problems, but hopefully we’ll one day solve them because these problems bother us.

I had some apprehension of how we were going to navigate the congested lunch crowd, but my kids were real troopers, always keeping their eye on the ball – that would be me – and keeping up with the flow. They definitely have their father’s city slicker blood in them. As we continued our meandering trip through the downtown core, I pointed out places their mom and I had gone to before they were born, old haunts of mine when I attended university in the city – that they were impressed with, that their dad went to school in the city. For a moment, their astonishment made me feel like I admitted that I had once jumped over that nearby skyscraper to try and catch the bus. As to be expected, we stopped in the few toy stores we saw along the way, which helped to add items to the list of gifts my wife and I could buy them as rewards for another run of outstanding report card grades. It was also funny to try and explain to them why there were so few toy stores downtown – my argument of how many adults there were around us compared to kids failed to impress them, with my oldest pointing out that many of them were probably parents like me and how they could benefit from having toy stores in town to buy birthday/graduation/etc. gifts for their kids on their way home. Hard to argue against logic like that.

Unfortunately, we didn’t end up taking the long subway trip I had suggested as an idea of what we could do this time around in the city. Given how close we were to the rush hour period at that point, I really had no interest in reliving memories of the subway commute in packed cars with people who should be introduced to a bar of soap. Naturally, they were disappointed until I promised them a return trip to the city where we’ll ride the subway once again. After all, there still were weekends and holidays after Labour Day.

And so, after a full day wandering and eating in the city, we headed back on our bus ride home. Watching them play various hand-rhyming games one often sees children playing in school yards, it was obvious that they were ready to return to school, meeting up with their classmates and sharing their memories of summer. It also brought one thought to the forefront of my mind – I was going to miss having them around.