The Last Gasp of Summer

How can it be that summer is almost over? According to the calendar, the last day of summer isn’t until September 21st, but for many of us, summer is over when the school year begins. For Tulsa Public School students, that means we’re in the last few days of summer. Summer is taking its last few gasps of life.

It feels like the blink of an eye when I celebrated the last day of school with my grandkids. That last day, it felt like we had an eternity of long, lazy summer days. We had plans – big plans that consisted of swimming, sleepovers, going to our favorite restaurant, and playing outside with neighbors as the fireflies lit up the evening sky. We loved the days when bedtime became a distant memory because we could always sleep in the next day. We did all those things, plus so much more. It wasn’t enough. We’re greedy, begging for more.

It seems as though most of my life has been lived according to a school’s schedule. When I was growing up, summer meant endless days of riding my bike, swimming, reading, and climbing trees. The end of summer was always sad, but the beginning of the school year was exciting. It meant new clothes, a Big Chief tablet, and a new box of unbroken crayons. Making the transition from summer to school was sometimes challenging, but after a week or two, I always managed to adapt. As a student, a parent, a teacher, and now as a grandparent, the school’s schedule continues to form the boundaries of my life.

The calendar says school begins next week, so the frantic last-minute grasps at fun have begun. We’re fitting in more swims, trips to the movies, and playdates. But mixed in with the fun are now back-to-school clothes shopping trips, outings my granddaughter loves, and my grandson participates in under great duress. Next week, there will be back-to-school events where they will meet their new teachers and find out if they are in the same class as their friends. The first day follows quickly. The late nights will give way to earlier bedtimes, and the sound of an alarm clock will jolt them from their slumber.

Some parents are breathing a sigh of relief that summer is almost over. For families where both parents work outside the home, summer can be difficult. For them, the beginning of school means no longer having to search for summer camps or babysitters. Some kids enjoy the structure and socialization that school brings. My grandson denies liking school, but once he gets into the routine, he always seems to enjoy it. My granddaughter will be going to K-4 this year, her first year at “big kids” school. She says she’s kind of nervous about it, so we’ve talked about her fears. Change can be challenging, and starting at a new school can be intimidating.

We still have a few days of summer break left, and we’ll make the most of it. I love the simple activities like eating popsicles on the porch, blowing bubbles and letting the grandkids chase them, swinging when the evening cools down, and sitting on the back porch looking at the stars and talking way past bedtime. I’m here for every last gasp of breath the summer of 2025 has left in it! How many days until fall break?