What would we do without routines?

Autumn will soon be here. The signs of its arrival are all around us: shorter days, cooler evenings, dewy mornings, schools resuming classes and a general, barely discernible change in the air.

In a few weeks, it will be here, full on. But right now, fall is just off in the distance, like a thunderstorm on the northern horizon -- you know it will be arriving, but for now, you can enjoy the calm before the storm.

So the question is, what will you do with the last days of summer?

Go swimming? Hit the golf course? Go for a bike ride or walk on the rec trails?

Any would be fine, and all could be done this coming weekend, some could be done tonight. But with today being the start of the school year, concessions will be made to the routine, which will soon dictate how life is lived for many.

At the homes that have school age children, tonight will be about sharing information, regrouping, and in some cases bending wills to conform to the routine.

The parental interrogation usually goes like this: How did the first day of school go? Do you like your teacher? Did you make any new friends? Is that what you're going to wear tomorrow? Really? Do you have any homework?

Depending on the relationship and the age of the child, some of the questions will be answered willingly. Others may crack over the dinner table. But the answers will be obtained. Resistance is futile.

Usually after supper and shortly before bed, children realize which indispensable school items they need for the next day, and a rushed purchase is made in the evening or early in the morning.

After a few days, the crises have all been worked out, the proper forms signed and returned and the routine has, as it always will, won out.

Never bet against the routine.

Parents of children who are just beginning school, it will get better. Parents who are seeing children off to college, try to focus on the new and exciting things your child will be doing. In time, the new routine will be a comfort to you.

It's a bit more difficult for me to write about these things, now that we will be entering our second school year without a child in school in Le Mars. Our youngest daughter, Madison, will be a sophomore at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis this fall. We take her back to school in a week. Classes begin after Labor Day at the U of M, so Madyi will have a week to get acclimated before classes begin.

On the same trip, we will get to celebrate our granddaughter's first birthday. Persephone is walking a bit now, and we are anxious to see her and her parents.

It's funny the difference time makes. A year ago, we were anxiously awaiting Sephie's arrival and dreading the departure of Madyi for college.

This year, it will be easier, thanks to the routine.

A year ago, we had no idea what we were getting into. This year, we know much more about the process. We have been happy to have Madyi at home all summer, but we all realize that it is time for her to go back to school.

Form must be followed, routine must be served.

So, the packing has begun and will accelerate in the coming week. Boxes will be stacked and soon packed away for the four-hour trek north. I will soon be discovering how out of shape I am as I haul furniture and boxes, but it is all good. This year, I know where I am going (more or less) and know what to expect (more or less), so the whole trip will be much less stressful.

Then, after moving her back in, seeing the rest of the family and celebrating a birthday, we will come back home to begin a new routine. Actually, it won't be a new one -- we did this last year.

As always, I welcome your comments. You can reach me by email at tstangl@lemarscomm.net, telephone 712-546-7031, x40 or toll free 1-800-728-0066 x40.

Thanks for reading, I'll keep in touch. Feel free to do the same.