My husband had K-12 perfect attendance for his school career. Know what he got for it? A pencil holder.
Doesn’t that seem like crap? A freaking pencil holder with a nameplate on it.
I am ridiculously thankful that my parents were not so worried about missed days of school. It allowed me to spend time with my grandpa. Go on trips to see family and just generally have a break every now and then.
I’m not one to let my kids stay home just for nothing - I work from home, so them being here when they should be at school makes my days…difficult.
But if there’s a good reason, I’m all about it.
Last October we took at a day and went to Grand Rapids, MI to check out ArtPrize. We’d gone a couple of years ago on a Saturday, and let me just tell you it was busy. A weekday was much nicer. We were joined by my aunt & uncle. It was chilly but the art was just amazing. One of the things I want my kids to get is that cultural things are important. And they are all very creative and artsy, so it was great for them.
We’ve also been known to take an extra day around a school break to make our trip last a little longer. At Thanksgiving, we went out to Missouri to visit my family. The extra day we had to spend with cousins checking out the springs in South Eastern MO was so good for my kids.
We stopped at Allie Springs and Blue Spring this year. When I was probably my youngest son’s age (8) my grandparents took me to the springs for the first time. The blue of Blue Spring is indescribable. And the green of the plants growing in Allie Springs is just as vibrant. The kids climbed all over the place and were filthy by the time we got back to Grandma’s house.
And just earlier this week, we took a day and spent it at Kalahari Resorts in Sandusky with friends. It was a super fun time. We all got some much needed time away + the chance to just hang out with people we adore. Two years ago we skipped the last day of school to camping with the same people, and it was one of our best trips.
Do your kids a favor. Don’t make sure they attend every day of school ever. Give them a chance to see that flexibility can open doors they didn’t know were there. They’ll get a peek at life that they don’t normally see - and they get to spend time with you.
This is EXACTLY what I’m saying:
