ahead of her time

My mother was a woman ahead of her time. For most of my childhood she was an elementary school teacher and a very good one.  Which is ironic because she never wanted to be a teacher.  She wanted to be a nurse, but in 1928 her mother didn't think being a nurse was respectable so she was forced to go to teachers college. I have friends who remember her as their favorite teacher ever.  When I was ready to start my teaching career I asked Mom what her secret to being such a good teacher was.  Her reply "I find something to love about each student."  A truly wise woman, but I digress.  The reason I think she was ahead of her time was because of something I heard on TV this morning.  The speaker was advising parents to keep their children on a schedule this summer with time for chores, play time, rest time and some limited screen time.  Well, my mom was doing that in the 1950s.  Our summers were wonderful.  We lived in the country with lots of room to roam, trees to climb and a big rock shaped like a ship to sail. But our days were organized.  Typically we did chores in the morning, had a mid-morning snack, took time to watch "Captain Kangaroo" with our youngest brother (screen time) played outside a lot, took a short rest after lunch, and always had some time to read.  It's funny but during this time of seclusion I find myself slipping into a very similar summer pattern; work in the morning, lunch, nap, do some fun activities and a different kind of screen time.  It's nice when sweet memories coincide with life lived now.