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Kids Tell Us How to Deal with Normal Life Now that Summer's Over

"I always see adults sitting around on sofas, and enjoying just sitting and doing nothing. So take the sofa to work with you!"

Photo by August Linnman, via Wikimedia Commons

This article originally appeared on VICE Spain

Given the state of the world today, you're pretty lucky to have a job. That's easy to forget though, when you're just returning from your summer vacation and only have grey skies and wet socks to look forward to in the months that lie ahead. Once you're back in that daily work routine, you know the healthy color on your face and butt will quickly fade, that project manager who's always breathing heavily and munching on a bag of raw almonds will be back at your side all day, and everything will be shit again. So yeah, no—not something to look forward to.

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It wasn't always like that—remember being eight and dying to get back to school after two excruciatingly long summer months of doing absolutely nothing? That feels like a very, very long time ago. That's why we asked a couple of kids and teenagers about what it's like for them to get back to school after the summer, and for some advice on how to deal with getting back to normal life.

Carlota López, 5

VICE: Grown-up people often fall into a deep, dark pit of despair when they have to return to work after their summer vacations. How do you feel about going back to school?
Carlota: I'm not sad because I get to play with my best friend, Chester.

What's the best thing about going back to school, and what's the worst?
I like being with my friends, but the worst thing is getting up early in the morning. I don't like it when someone wakes me up. Sometimes, I dream about Esquitx—that's my favorite pony at my riding school—and when they wake me up from those dreams I get so angry.

Do you like being away from your parents while you're at school?
Yes, I have a great time without adults. I like painting and playing with Lego and Memory. And when my friends and I are on the playground we play farts.

You play farts?
No, I was joking!

What advice would you give me to make me feel better about having to go back to work?
Arse, arse, arse! Are you happy now?

Elvis Sabín, 10

VICE: What motivates you to go back to school after the summer?
Elvis: I think about being with my friends again. Besides, school isn't very hard at the beginning of the year. It gets harder later as the months go by but by then, I'll be more used to being back in school.

What do you like best about going back to school, and what's the worst thing about it?
Having fun with my friends is the best thing—we usually spend the morning break in the courtyard talking and having a second breakfast, and we play during the longer lunch break. We also have fun when we read in the library, for example. It's good that it's not so hot in school after summer, too. But I don't like homework or my language classes and exams.

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What is the best breakfast to fuel up for the return to routine?
I like toast with tomato and ham, or cheese or spicy sausage. And fruit.

Do you like being away from your parents when you're in school?
That's a really difficult question. What I like most is being away from my brother for a while, because during the summer we spend all day together and that's dead boring at the end. But my parents—I don't know, I don't care. They don't bother me. My brother is a bit younger than me, and he bothers me. Sometimes.

What is your advice for adults like me who have to go back to work now?
I always see adults sitting around on sofas, and enjoying just sitting and doing nothing. So take the sofa with you! Or get a job where you can sit on a sofa. If that exists, of course. Does it exist?

Carolina Garcia, 15

VICE: How do you feel about going back to high school now that summer's over?
Carolina: I have some new subjects this year and I'm really curious about who will be in my class. I've always loved learning new things, but I hate waking up early and studying.

Does going back to school feel different now than when you were little?
It may sound stupid but when I was little, I always wanted to go back to school to see my teachers. I adored them—now they're the last thing I want to see.

Who do you think is more excited—you about going back to school or your parents about going back to work?
Well, these days it's a blessing to have a job. I don't think they're looking forward to going back that much—they just don't complain because they're happy to have a job and they need the work.

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Do you think grown-ups complain too much about work?
During the school year, yes, I think that you complain too much. You don't have to study, you don't have assignments with absurd deadlines. But I guess you have the right to complain—it's a huge responsibility to bring money home, to depend on your job, and have others depend on it. You get to change the world a little bit with the work you do.

Edu Torredeflot, 18

VICE: Are you looking forward to going back to college now that summer's over?
Edu: Yes, and no. This will be my second year studying journalism and I'm excited about going to class because I like my subjects, my classmates, and university life in general. But it's obviously sad that three months of doing absolutely nothing have come to an end.

Don't you find it a drag to go back to your daily routine after all this time?
A little bit, yeah. The truth is that you're very motivated the first few days but then you lose momentum and when the first month comes to a close, you're fucking bored again. But right now, I'm really looking forward to get back to university life, see my friends and get started.

What advice would you give people who have to go back to work now?
The first days will be difficult but once you're back in your routine, time will fly by and before you know it, it will be summer again.