the longing for summer vacation

My eldest returned from school this afternoon very excited--only 7 more days of school until she's a 1st grader. She is also very excited about summer break. Most of this year we've been battling tears whenever school is out whether it is because she is sick, the weather is bad or just one of those numerous in-service days. Now I was very pleased with this attitude. It is much easier to deal with tears about not going to school then to deal with tears because she has to go to school. But I wondered about it most of the year. She HATED snow days. (and not because she knew she would have to go longer at the end of the year!) I can remember LOVING getting out of school at every opportunity I had. I wondered when the attitude I had would kick in. (I guess I was a pessimist and assumed it would kick in at some point.) Evidently that time (at least for my child) is when there are 9 days left in the school year. Every morning since then we deal with "Do I have to go to school? I don't waaaaaant tooooooo." Fortunately there have been no tears. Maybe its the heat, the lack of air conditioning, the sunshine, the call of the local parks and swimming pools or just something inherent in all of us that longs for summer vacation.