Lessons Learned from a Long Summer

As I took a walk this morning, I started to reflect on the summer. It’s certainly been a difficult one for us in many ways, but, as I realized during my reverie, it’s also been quite a productive one for the children. Here are some of the things we’ve learned in the last two months.

Yakir has learned that when he bites us with those 8 little teeth, we scream. And he laughs.

Zeli has learned that a toilet won’t swallow you up, and that maybe it’s cool to flush away that stuff and move on. (And that, in itself, is a HUGE and exciting achievement for a Sussman boy of his age. Yeah!)

Eliav has learned that sometimes it’s cool to be the oldest Sussman boy, although it sure is fun to wrestle again when the big boys get home.

Amichai, Yehuda and Matan have learned that they can fly halfway around the world by themselves and have an amazing time (even if sometimes you do have to barf over the security barrier at the airport out of fear before you leave). They’ve also learned about every Nerf gun that’s ever existed, how to reload them, and where to shoot them for the most impact.

Amichai has learned to swim. He has not, however, learned to go anywhere near his two wheel bike. His mother is learning to let go, and to accept that each child will learn a skill when he is ready to do so.

I have learned about flexibility and endurance, cancelling our major vacation out of necessity, cancelling our minor vacation due to bombs, and regrouping in less than 24 hours to have a desperately-needed and wonderfully-enjoyed vacation at the Dead Sea.

And, of course, I’ve learned that health isn’t something we can take for granted, and that life sends us curve balls that sometimes feel insurmountable.

Let’s hope that the children will continue to grow and prosper during the school year ahead, and that Josh and I will learn to deal with the challenges ahead, and to surmount them as they come.