There was a time when March Break was a real production.
I’d take the whole week off. I had a list. The boys were small enough that the list was the entire point. Casa Loma during Dragon Week. Every mall in the city is visited at least once. McDonald’s on the way home because that was, somehow, always the highlight. We called it Dad Week. I treated it like a job.
The boys are 13 and 16 now.
This March Break, I made them a list of chores. That was it.
It sat on the counter untouched until the last day of the week, at which point things started to happen because that’s how getting allowance works. The kitchen floor got cleaned. The garbage went out. Progress.
In between, they slept until 11. Made their own plans. Surfaced when they were hungry. By the time anyone was ready to do anything, it was mid-afternoon, and the day had made its own decisions.
I’m not complaining. It’s genuinely fine. There’s no logistical chaos. Nobody is melting down because of hunger or how long the TTC takes.
But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t notice it.
The one exception came on Thursday. First day of March Madness. Both boys came downstairs, brackets printed, snacks already negotiated. We sat in the basement for hours and watched games. Nobody was on their phone. We argued about our picks. I lost most of those arguments.
It felt, just for a day, like the old version of the week. Not the logistics of it. The feeling of it. The boys and I were in the same place, doing the same thing, because that’s where they wanted to be.
That’s what changes when they get older. You stop being the person who plans the week and become the person hoping for a few good hours in it. The bar recalibrates. As I talked about last month when we watched The Hangover, a Thursday afternoon in the basement counts.
I used to be their tour guide. Now I’m more like a roommate they say hi to as they do their own thing.
March Break is still good. It’s just a different kind of good.
What am I going to do when they are not at home anymore? I am not ready to think about that (yet).
In Case You Missed It
March Break wasn’t the only thing happening this month. Here’s what else went up on the blog.
What Video Games Are Your Kids Really Playing? – Turns out the quiet house isn’t Fortnite anymore. Life Sim games are what a lot of kids are playing now, and most parents have no idea. Worth knowing about before you assume they’re just goofing around.
ChatGPT and Apple Music Make Really Good Playlists – You can connect ChatGPT to your Apple Music account and have it build a playlist based on whoever you’re making it for. I’ve been doing it for my wife and the boys. It works better than I expected, and it made me think about making mix tapes.
Big Green Egg Spring Startup – The Egg came out from under the snow. If yours has been sitting since October, here’s what to check before you light it up for the first time.
Jussi Adler-Olsen Books in Order – All ten Dept. Q books, in order, with both title versions sorted out. If you finished the Netflix show and want the books, this is where to start.
