Oh February, My February

The real reason that February is the shortest month of the year has to do with the Romans and the way they organized their calendar, but in my opinion, February is short because it sucks and we all want to get it over with as quickly as possible.

When we learn about the seasons in elementary school, we're taught that winter is comprised of December, January, and February. In reality, winter starts on December 21st and ends on March 19th, putting February smack dab in the middle of winter. So it's partly our own delusion that makes February so rotten - by the time we get to February, we think winter is almost over, but really we're only halfway there. But it's also February itself, that craftiest of months, which alternates the worst winter weather (the biggest snowfalls, the coldest ice storms) with 60 degree days and bright sunny skies until, like the month of February itself, we begin to be a bit bipolar.

This month, we went to the park and played on the playground and rode bikes, and we had snow days and school delays and our backyard turned into a mud pit. We celebrated Valentine's Day and had a birthday and spent time with good friends, and we got sick and then got sick again and then got sick again. This morning, I woke up and announced to the boys, "On Monday, we're getting back into the old swing of things. Now that February is finally over."

Good riddance, February.