End of Summer Ritual

Sunday night was the night before Sam finally headed back to work - which meant it was also the night for us to get our traditional "Summer is Really Over" ice cream, together.

This tradition started about ten years ago (I'm guessing), back in the not-so-distant days when Sam was still in school. 

Back then, the end of summer seemed to be a lot harder. It was filled with a lot more anxiety.

Maybe it was because he was younger back then- and a lot of things can be hard when you're younger. Or maybe it was because the approach of school carried a lot more "unknowns" - what were the new students going to be like? And would he have different teachers? 

Or maybe it was because of some of the "knowns". School involved a lot of fast moving language, with little or no time to process. And there were more transitions throughout the day- and transitions can be difficult and disruptive.

Whatever the reasons, thankfully, the end of summer seems a little less traumatic now. 

Still, we keep the tradition going. It feels a little nostalgic, plus it's a nice way to finish off the summer and makes this less-difficult transition just a little bit easier. 

Plus, we like ice cream.