Not as fun as it used to be

It was February vacation for most of the little kids in Massachusetts last week. Do you remember what February vacation was like? It certainly was no winter break down in Daytona or Cancun!
Most of your toys from Christmas were already broken. It was too cold to play outside. And if you had lots of winter gear, like sleds and ice skates, then your February vacation was just above freezing and not a snow flake in sight. (However if this was the year Santa brought inline roller skates and a bike, it was a frozen wasteland outside your door!)
But we are adults now and most of us give February vacation very little thought. We are in the full swing of spring semester. We have already had a test or paper due in this year's courses. And perhaps we are thinking to our own March break where white sandy beaches and bottomless fruity drinks fill our imaginations.
Unless of course you happen to be both a student and a parent, then February vacation looms greatly in your mind! Last week I was writing my Comment column while every neighborhood kid is at my house, yelling at the top of his or her lungs. Apparently I am the token at- home parent today. Too cold to be outside, my hallway has become a speedway and "good snacks" are already running low. We all know "good snacks" are not the bowl of fruit on the counter. If it doesn't crunch and come from a bag, if it doesn't leave a chocolate stain around your mouth, it isn't the "good" kind of snack!
In the balancing act that is parenthood, one of the kids gets to come with me to classes this week. One child will be well behaved, two children are a gamble, and to bring the three youngest would threaten the stability of the campus.
Trust me, I do not exaggerate. Have you ever seen a shark feeding frenzy? That is what three small children look like trying to get attention. Since I take psychology courses I am aware that young kids thrive on attention. Good or bad matters little to them!
It is a complicated thing to plan the backpack that I have to drag across campus this week. In addition to course books and notebooks, I need to make sure that I have crayons, drawing paper, and snacks that make no sound and leave no mark!
The last time I brought my daughter she was as quiet as a mouse. She spent most of the classes observing what all the girls were wearing. When you are ten, college fashion styles are what you daydream about.
But at one point, she whispered to me during Statistics class, "Momma I have no idea what math the teacher is talking about." The girl next to me whispered back, "Honey neither do I." Both had a fit of the giggles and I tried to pretend I didn't know either of them.
But when I sit next to my kids at the supper table, all of us working on homework, I am aware that this going back to school 25 years later has some unexpected benefits.
Children who think nothing of interrupting an important phone call or a moment of peace while I am in the shower, tip toe past while Momma is studying.
They ask how I did on my test, the youngest proudly hanging my B paper next to his A one on the fridge. He gives me a hug and reassures me that a B is good if I am trying my best.
I am glad that they have the opportunity to truly see that their Dad and I value an education. And I appreciate the smiles and friendly hellos my kids get from my college classmates, as they tag-a-long behind me on campus.
February vacation is one loooong week for parents and kids alike. Last week, my kids got to be BSC students. They looked at it as a great adventure. And they remind me that I do, too.