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Catherine's policy of keeping pets out of the Cunningham household should be an easy one to keep - she hopes!

Alice Cooper created the ultimate anthem to summer

SPAGHETTI FOR BREAKFAST

BY Catherine Cunningham, Humour Columnist June 30, 2009 14:06

"School's out for summer."

"School's out forever."

Well it's not out forever... at least not for my kids. Not yet.

But I am not quoting fact. I am quoting Alice Cooper.

As I walked over to pick up my two youngest children from their elementary school on their final day, I heard music coming from the building. It was a melancholy tune that I didn't quite recognize but it was effective - at least one in 20 girls emerging from the school seemed to be crying.

While I waited for my own son and daughter to appear, I heard one of the waiting parents remark to another that when she went to school, the song "School's Out" by Alice Cooper would have been playing.

It might have been a slightly more upbeat way to end the year.

I was five when the song "School's Out" was released. While I have no firm memories of Sister Mary Catherine playing it on the portable record player as we left through the kindergarten door, I do remember seeing Alice Cooper perform the song during an episode of The Muppet Show about five years later. By the time I was in high school, there was always at least one car blasting it from a cassette player as they pulled out of the parking lot for the last time.

There's something special about the last day of school. There's something special about any day that gets its own soundtrack, but the last day of school has always been near the top of the list.

Even my six-year-old, who loves her classmates, adores her teacher and says learning is her favourite thing, came home after her last day and yelled "Summer vacation is here!"

I finished school many years ago but I'm rather fond of this particular holiday too.

There is something wonderful about not requiring a bullhorn and crane to remove your children from their beds in the morning.

There is something relaxing about the knowledge that no one will announce at 8:56 a.m. that they need lime green Jell-o and a new pack of pencil crayons that day.

And there is something intoxicating about not having to ask your child if they've finished their homework before explaining to them that the laser sound coming from the video game hidden under their binder negates the affirmative response given in reply to the original question.

Of course I do realize that summer vacation also means that when they're not at camp or at the cottage, they'll be home every day looking for things to do.

It won't be so bad on sunny days. The two youngest enjoy the great outdoors. The oldest will tolerate it if he has no choice and has been surgically removed from the computer.

Rainy summer days will be a whole other story.

"I'm going to play on the Wii!"

"I was going to play on the Wii!"

"You only said you were going to after I said I was going to!"

"That's only because you said it first."

"I know!"

"But I was thinking it first and my foot is already on the stairs!"

Insert mother here.

"Why doesn't one of you play the Xbox now and the other play the Wii and then switch?"

"I'm going to play on the Xbox!"

"I was going to play on the Xbox!"

You know what Alice? It's probably a good thing that school's only out for the summer.

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