CityView Magazine - Fayetteville, NC
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1396645
12 August 2021 Summer laze to school days L ate last week, I stood in our pantry surveying a dearth of desirable snacks, created by four children starved by the work of summer. In my periphery, I appreciated the many sturdy cushions of our couch stacking carefully and quietly. A shadow resembling my 9-year-old son launched itself from the scaffolding, streaked through the air and landed with the characteristic thud we oen mistake for artillery. "Was that Fort Bragg?" e baby rewarded him with a belly laugh, our 5-year-old clapped and scrambled to the summit. Wryly, but with delight, our tween stole glances from behind a book. is summer day was shaping up as most, structured by pillow forts, make-believe, hose-squirting, video games, cannonballs, hollering and hooting. When the hollering gets louder than the hooting, I herd them into the car to visit the Haymount peach man, inspect a charming Little Free Library near our home, spy the colorfully curated Betty Kelly's Gi Shop storefront or take a slow crawl down Hay Street and around the Market House to be among the hustle and bustle. FEATURE BY COURTNEY PHILLIPS | PHOTOGRAPHY BY CINDY BURNHAM I savor these predictable, lazy days. Too quickly they give way to rushed hugs, reluctant ponytails, practice spelling tests and abbreviated farewells. "I love you! Be good! Ok! Pay attention! Bye!" ((door slam)) Aer what feels like a perpetual vacation, I only vaguely recall the morning soundtrack of yore: yawns, creaky steps, shuffles in sock feet, dripping coffee, zipping bookbags. August is the perfect time to ready an unready home and family for a triumphant return to school. Or go fry an egg on the sidewalk. You can do both of those things in Fayetteville in August. I savor these predictable, lazy days. Too quickly they give way to rushed hugs, reluctant ponytails, practice spelling tests and abbreviated farewells. "I love you! Be good! Ok! Pay attention! Bye!" ((door slam)) SLEEP Maggie Carson, a 27-year veteran first- grade teacher at Alma Easom Elementary School, has a tip to ease the adjustment and identify any kinks in the launch sequence. "e most important thing is to start the routine before school starts. Gradually adjust bedtimes and introduce morning routines." Kameron Maynor