Parental Elixir

by Christine Johnson

Haveyou ever noticed as you wander the streets of Coronado, or any hometown, that the expression on faces of parents begin a dramatic turn in the late days of August?

Is it because it’s still a little too warm outside? People are coming and going from vacation so there are smiles and frowns? Looking forward to fall weather?

NO NO NO.

THE KIDS ARE GOING BACK TO SCHOOL!

September is the month where Mom and Dad pull back the mask and expose pure joy as kids climb into the SUV or on their bikes and head back to the classroom. The start of a new school year where the house becomes empty during the week and parents return to their regularly scheduled programming.

I have never been the parent who experienced joy in their kids heading back to school. I loved having my child around for the Summer where we could do things together and I could witness her having fun with friends. Then again – I only have one child. Easy for me to sit back and watch life only make a slight adjustment for a few months. But what about the family unit that has multiple children? Teenagers

driving, mixed with a baby that only sleeps half the night and one in the middle who needs your attention but there isn’t enough to go around. As the oldest of three, I have always been amazed observing parents juggle more than one child.

Cars traveling in various directions to practices, doctor appointments, and dance lessons. Making sure the baby is taken care of by a family member or nanny, while hoping their teen is hanging out with the right people, making good grades and not torturing the younger sibling. How does this work? How do so many parents excel at this chaos? What about the hero single parents who do this all alone?

I don’t want to sound presumptuous or even begin to suggest that there are vices involved in keeping us parents sane. After all, I have friends with anywhere from four to seven children, and they are the happiest, most loving, calm individuals I know. They’re just born that way. But I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that most of us are not that lucky. We need a little somethin’ somethin’ to take the edge off once the children have gone to bed.

To celebrate the return to academics, I am presenting a lecture on a fun and easy cocktail to toast the never-ending quest for scholarships. Don’t forget to raise your glasses to our teachers as well.

I call this drink the “Parental Elixir.” Like #2 pencils and lined white paper, these ingredients are most likely in your home. So, sit back and enjoy the end of summer and the beginning of the school year. You only have about 100 days till they are home for Christmas break!

Ingredients

1 Bottle of your favorite Rose champagne

1 Bottle of Cranapple juice

1 Can of Ginger Ale

1 Red apple

Handful of frozen cranberries

Champagne flutes

Mixology

Mix 1/3 champagne,

1/3 cranapple juice

and 1/3 ginger ale

Drop frozen cranberries in bottom of champagne flute

Garnish with slice of red apple