A Summer of Saturdays

Last year, when Mike's schedule changed to second shift, my hatred for Saturdays became a thing. I know - that's so odd, because for so many the weekend is the best. But when your husband works crazy hours and doesn't have traditional weekends off, Saturdays (and Sundays) can be difficult.

In the winter it was hard because it was too cold to go outside, and when Mike walked out the door on those dreaded Saturdays, all hell broke loose. Invariably, someone threw up, a wall would get busted through, meltdowns would occur, someone's diaper would need changed like a million times, fights would break out, snacks would be demanded. And managing the autistic behaviors. The spinning, the banging, throwing everything, contaminating food, the self-injuries... And it was all on me. It is STILL all on me. It was exhausting, and I cried my way through many Saturdays. Then school ended. And I was looking down three months of every day being Saturday.

It has been hard. We have the warm weather, which is wonderful, but that's really the only thing on my side. Every single day has been like that movie Groundhog's Day. We might have a fleeting fun moment here or there, therapies or tutoring every single week, or a trip to the grandparents, but by and large, every single day is exactly like the last. And that has me craving the beginning of the school year - which to me is sad. And I have cried my way through many days of this summer.

Summer of Saturdays. Thankfully it's winding down - and maybe some structure and routine - that I desperately tried to employ in our house and kept failing over and again - will do us some good. I might be sad that my kids are going back to school - and on three different school schedules to boot - 

But I won't be sad to go down to just one Saturday a week.