It’s
finally here; the last day of school.
Kids are ready. I’m ready. Now we wait to begin the traditional
celebration. A family water fight.
My
husband and I pick just the right hiding spot in the front yard and await their
arrival. Our buckets are filled with
water and balloons are ready to launch. Flip top water bottles and filled water balloons
hide in the yard ready for the kids to find.
In the distance we hear laughter and see the first of many excited children
heading for home; arms full of treasures from the last day. Friends become “watchmen” and signal when our
children are within sight. They watch
with anticipation and begin offering cries of warning as we hoist our “weapons”
for attack.
Our
kids are home! Eyes widen just as the first
stream of cold water hits. School
treasures are safely tucked away in the corner of the yard and they’re off;
screaming, yelling, and defenseless! We
laugh and declare victory until they find the hidden stash. Balloons begin to fly and the water hose
turns on. The tide has turned. Four against two—we are all soaked and the
kids declare victory. It’s summertime!
Each
year the strategy of attack varies, but the end result is always the same. As our kids have grown, so has their
creativity and resourcefulness. My
personal favorite was when they recruited another family to join the fun. They
made arrangements for a ride home on an alternate route and snuck into our
backyard to attack us from behind.
Victory was all theirs!
How
does your family welcome summer? We’d
love to hear.
