I remember exactly the year when I heard the expression that once July 4th hits, summer is basically over.
I had just graduated college and I was attending a fancy party on the water with fireworks with a college friend of mine who grew up in a coastal town. I was out of my element on many levels. It was also the first time I felt like an adult. It rattled me. Honestly, July 4th still rattles me every year.
But it doesn't have to. In many ways, we can use the July 4th holiday as a point to reflect on what we've done and what we still need to do this summer.
As a mom, I am thinking a lot about my younger two kids having a great summer despite my full-time job. I purposely keep them busy. Swim team practice, tennis (for what seems like hours in the hot sun), and pool time every day. This is all to allow me to squeeze in as much work as I can before I pick them up.
Sometimes it rains and I have to pick them up early. Sometimes they complain that none of their friends are at the pool. Sometimes they just want to sleep in. But then I notice how much fun they are having. During the heat wave in the Northeast last week, Max didn't complain once about playing tennis in the high temperatures. And, I caught him happily eating lunch alone at the snack bar watching Wimbledon yesterday.
Dotsie pointed out to me a few days ago how happy she gets when her hair lightens in the summer, like right now. I quietly observed that her anxiety lightens in the summer too.
For the second half of the summer, I want to plan some things for Max and Dotsie. We are taking a long weekend road trip to see my husband's parents in Northern New York. After much debate, we decided to add another day onto our trip to drive to Montreal, one of our favorite cities to visit. And, while my husband has to work over Labor Day Weekend, I promised the kids that I would take them to the U.S. Open for a day. Max told me he wants to see Carlos Alcaraz. I told him I couldn't guarantee that, but he will definitely see some live tennis.
On this July 4th Eve, I want my students to reflect on all the good that has come from these first few weeks (or month) of summer. I also want them to plan some things for the rest of the summer that they want to achieve.
- For my rising seniors, getting the main essay written by the end of July is a good goal to have. This will allow them to shift gears when applications are updated on August 1st. That is when they can start to fill out their applications and work on supplemental essays.
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- Rising juniors should do some test prep to get them ready for taking the SAT or ACT. If they are working this summer or doing a summer activity, that's amazing too.
- Those rising sophomores, like Max, and rising high school freshmen should do something productive with their summer, whatever that is. But there is a lot less pressure on them to do something monumental. Most of the time, the summer after 9th grade doesn't make the cut on the Common App activities list.
READ MORE: The Surprising Advice I Gave My Rising Sophomore for This Summer
As much as I don't want summer to end, I know that July 4th is a time to look at what we've done and what we want to do for the rest of the summer. The holiday could mark the start of the summer for some—as many high schools don't finish the school year until the end of June. It can also be more of a halfway point for others. Either way, July 4th shouldn't rattle us about summer being almost over. It should inspire us to make the most of the time we have left this summer.
