Growing up on Vashon

The best parts of autumn are on their way

For me, there are really three and a half seasons in the year. There’s autumn, my absolutely favorite season.

There’s winter, a close runner-up to autumn (it gets extra points for Christmas, but I sort of ramp up for Christmas in autumn). There’s spring, which I love because of flowers and our annual Easter egg hunt. Then, there’s half a season, which I call “almost autumn.”

Yeah, you heard me right. I don’t believe in summer. I have never been a summer person at all. I hate the heat, hate the skimpy outfits and hate the lack of routine that summer brings. I absolutely love autumn, and summer is the thing that stands in the way each year before autumn returns.

Some of the things I love about autumn actually have nothing to do with my kids. I love “When Harry Met Sally,” which has always seemed to be based in the warm, rich colors of autumn in New York City. I love songs about autumn and warm sweaters and apple cider and falling leaves.

As for kids, is there anything better than the first day of school?

My sister and I were all about the first day of school. Every year we picked berries to raise the money for wonderful clothes. Then, we made a chart, outlining every outfit we would wear for the first month.

We would lie in bed the night before school, envisioning our new outfits, what we would do differently this year, what friends we would make. It was all about the possibilities.

I took my daughter and five friends to the San Juans this summer for my daughter’s 13th birthday. It was an amazing experience to see how these girls are changing in front of my very eyes, becoming teenagers.

There are many memories that we made that week, but here is my favorite: Sitting in the car coming home with the tired girls and asking them the kind of question my daughter usually calls corny.

“What are you all going to do better this year as eighth-graders?” I asked. The girls thought about it and gave wonderful answers, no joking.

We covered everything from “organize my study time better” to “make new friends.” It was clear to me that autumn hasn’t changed for kids these days. It is still about the possibilities and about change.

My daughter came downstairs on the first day of school, wearing her brand-new outfit. There were no troubles waking her up that morning (as I am sure there will be very soon). She was excited, dressed and ready to greet the year.

Then, my fifth- and second-graders repeated the same thing — getting up easily, getting dressed. Over the course of a half-hour that morning, they asked “when are we leaving” exactly 83 times. They were ready to jump back in and start the year.

Sure, school can be hard. Kids get tired. They are overbooked these days, and there is not enough sleep, not enough downtime, not enough time for families to just chill out together. I get all that.

But in autumn, all of those concerns seem very far away. In autumn, you get a chance to wipe the slate clean and begin again, with new clothes or a new backpack and with the feeling of possibilities.

Oh, and about that summer thing? I guess I will have to put up with it. After all, summer also means Strawberry Festival, Fourth of July and my birthday. Too bad they all can’t happen with the thermostat maxing at a crisp 55 degrees.

— Lauri Hennessey runs a public relations business. She can be found, undoubtedly wearing an autumn sweater and sipping cider, at lauri@hennesseypr.com.