Like many moms who work outside of the house, I'm of two minds about it.
On one hand, I like what I do and I always have. I'm one of those lucky people who figured out what she wanted to do in college and mostly stuck on that path ever since.
Then there's the other hand -- the one that longs to reach out and hold tight to my kids' hands as much and as often as possible. Working full time for so many years has meant I've had to miss out on being part of the lazy summer days that offer such great memories from my own childhood. I can still pull up the sights and smells of waking up in the cool of the morning with the branches of the big maple trees on our block that stretched across the street to meet each other creating a fully shaded spot for a day of bike riding and running through sprinklers.
I liked to sit on our screened back porch with a library book or paper and colored pencils, pretending I could draw. (I couldn't, and still can't. Oh well.)
My mom was always there, although not as a chauffeur like today's moms. We mostly got ourselves around Wauwatosa on pedal power, even if that meant a sweaty bike ride to Hart Park for tennis lessons at noon, then an even sweatier return home. The best was the sweltering bike ride to Hoyt Park pool, where we'd drop a few cents for admission and a metal basket to put our clothes and shoes in and dive in to freeze in the water.
Summer was something different when all the moms stayed home and our days were mostly our own.
Even though I'm at the office, I still want to be a great "summer mom." I can't exactly give my kids the open-ended luxury I enjoyed, but I try to work some feelings of freedom into the day.
One recent summer night, after I'd been at the office all day, I just wanted the real feel of summer -- what we wait for all year long. Instead of just doing the usual home-based night, I pulled into the driveway with a plan.
It was a Wednesday, so that means Sunset Zoofari at the Milwaukee County Zoo. I flew in the house, changed out of my work clothes, rallied the troops and had us out the door and into the summer evening in just a matter of minutes.
A spin around the zoo and a few minutes by the band later, we were all ready to move on.
On the drive home, rather than the kids suggesting a stop for frozen custard, I did.
As we piled back into the car after getting our cones, my daughter piped up from the back seat.
"Tonight is great. I just feel so spoiled," she said.
And that was it -- all it took. It hit me how little I need to do to be a good summer mom. It isn't about the big plans, the big trips.
It's like it was for me as a kid. Being a good summer mom is just about being there -- in whatever way and whenever you can.
