Nope. Not today! No rulers or #2 pencils in this cart! Target cashier, please ring up these star-spangled flip-flops, a bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos, and a bottle of Coke I’m meant to share with my daughter, so I can escape back to the blissful reality of July. Let me soak up the summer humidity and endure some thigh burns from my leather seats. I want to get caught in a surprise rain shower and admire those breathtaking purple and gold sunsets because, guess what? It’s still summer! Don’t rush me into fall, Mr. Five-Star School Supply List. I’m just not ready for it.
I’m not mentally prepared for notebooks that will come home half-used or supplies that will remain untouched (who needs graph paper anyway?). I’m still convincing myself that if I lounge in the sun just a bit longer, my stomach will magically flatten. I can’t be fretting over whether my kid might end up with scoliosis due to a middle school that has no lockers and all six of her teachers demanding individual 1-inch binders and three-subject college-ruled notebooks!
Sure, there are those super-organized moms out there already conquering the back-to-school aisle, checking off their lists with glee and fighting off the urge to wrestle for the last pair of left-handed scissors. But I’m not one of them. At 3 p.m. today, my daughter and I will be debating whether to indulge in a salted pretzel or a churro at the water park. We still have five glorious weeks before I have to engage in this brain-bending dialogue:
Me: Are the vocabulary words in the book or on a ditto?
Kid: A what?
Me: A ditto! You know, when the teacher puts the words on paper and makes copies?
Kid: What is makes copies?
Me: Are you kidding? Like a copy machine!
Kid: OHHH! You mean a copy machine! No, they’re in the book.
Me: Alright, so she wants the assignment done on loose leaf?
Kid: On what?
I totally get how the retail world operates—back-to-school sales start in July, Halloween costumes pop up in August, Christmas trees are decked out by October, and Easter goodies replace the Valentine’s Day candy by February 15. But how can we enjoy today when our minds are racing toward tomorrow? The moment that first three-prong poly folder enters my house, summer is practically over. I’m not ready for that! I haven’t even made it to Disney yet! So, I’m taking a stand and savoring one season at a time. It’s summer, and it will remain summer until that first school bell rings on August 24.
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Summary
This article humorously expresses a parent’s reluctance to rush into the back-to-school season while enjoying the last bits of summer. It highlights the chaos of school supply lists, the transition from summer fun to academic preparations, and the amusing generational gap in understanding school terminology. The author emphasizes the importance of savoring summer until the school year officially begins.