We are in the last few weeks of the academic year, when young students count off the days remaining until “no more pencils, no more books,” and nothing but weeks of lazy, hazy summer days in the offing. May and June have always been the best months of school.
They are also the months our society has chosen in which to “honour thy father and thy mother” on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. The greeting card industry, the florists and even the companies that make men’s ties are all going into high gear at this time of year. We are urged to take our parents out for a meal or at least give them a phone call to express our appreciation of their love and caring. After the card is sent or the phone call is made, we feel we’ve done all that’s necessary. But do we ever think back to the ordinary things parents do to make family life easy and fun?
Think back to family vacations and what made those days of summer so great. Was it camping, with the special smells of canvas and campfire smoke? Was it the family cottage where you went back year after year and found things just the same as last year, like the special feather you hid away on a closet shelf, or last year’s too-small bathing suit waiting for this year’s first swim?
Here in Ramara there are campgrounds and cottages galore where families can enjoy their summer fun. As we watch those families, it’s easy to see that although it’s a change of pace, there is still plenty of work to be done. It’s the task of the parents to see that the car is ready, the pantry is well stocked with groceries for those never-ending meals and snacks, the wet, sandy bathing suits are picked up and hung on the line and there is always a pile of firewood chopped and ready for those pleasant evening bonfires.
It’s all part of the joy of getting away from it all, but sometimes, if they are really honest, fathers might admit that it’s rather nice to get back to the routine of work after a spell of roughing it. And more than one mother has been heard to remark that she felt like kissing the washer and dryer and dishwasher when she returned from a vacation.
How wonderful it would be if every parent could have the opportunity to be a kid for a while, and relive the carefree days of childhood when every need is taken care of.
For parents of a certain age, with grown children and their cottaging days behind them, that carefree experience is now achieved on the water, with a cruise-ship holiday.
For a few days, every task is done, every need fulfilled. When you leave your stateroom, someone comes in to tidy and clean it. There’s no shopping or meal planning. Whenever anyone talks about a cruise, the two words one hears most often are “food” and “pampering.”
The food is plentiful and available around the clock, everything from exotic foreign dishes to familiar fare like omelettes, roast beef or a simple bowl of oatmeal. If it’s windy and rough, you can stay in bed and they’ll bring you their “high-seas” menu of clear beef bouillon, dry crackers and clear tea.
There’s no risk of boredom, with a seemingly endless list of activities to choose from. Or you can just relax on deck chairs and see the sea, enjoying cold drinks and snacks served by cheerful deck stewards.
So whether this year’s vacation is a cruise or simply a few days at the lake, may your family enjoy the holiday, and have a Happy Mother’s and Father’s Day together.
This article was originally published in the May/June 2011 issue of the Ramara Chronicle.
