--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Supposedly, summer vacation happens…" description: "\"Supposedly, summer vacation happens because that's when the kids are home from school, although having the kids home from school is no vacation. And su..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ac/p-j-o-rourke-184_agricultural_supposedly-summer-vacation-happens-becau_1103881.png" --- # Supposedly, summer vacation happens because that's when… ![“Supposedly, summer vacation happens because that's when the kids are home from school, although having the kids home from school is no vacation. And supposedly the kids are home from school because of some vestigial throwback to our agricultural past.” quote by P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ac/p-j-o-rourke-184_agricultural_supposedly-summer-vacation-happens-becau_1103881.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ac/p-j-o-rourke-184_agricultural_supposedly-summer-vacation-happens-becau_1103881.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ac/p-j-o-rourke-184_agricultural_supposedly-summer-vacation-happens-becau_1103881.png) > “Supposedly, summer vacation happens because that's when the kids are home from school, although having the kids home from school is no vacation. And supposedly the kids are home from school because of some vestigial throwback to our agricultural past.” [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He sat that summer vacation exists because kids are home, yet having them home isn’t a vacation, pointing out the absurdity of the tradition. **In simple terms:** Kids being home isn’t a real vacation. Key Takeaway Question the logic of traditions. Themes tradition irony family life Mood wry critical Type essay satire When to use this quote - planning family activities - school scheduling - holiday planning - parental expectations - policy debate Key Concepts social critique historical roots educational policy Questions to Reflect On - Why do we keep this tradition? - What alternatives exist for family time? A Different Perspective Changing school calendars is complex and may affect learning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer/) [Summer vacation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer-vacation/) [Throwback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/throwback/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Vacation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vacation/) ## Related quotes > [As much as I cherish our family holidays, I've never taken my daughter out of school for a vacation because, the last time I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartley-brewer/as-much-as-i-cherish-our-family-holidays-i-ve-never-taken-my-daughter/) [Julia Hartley-Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-hartley-brewer/) > [Sheep farming is heavily subsidized in Great Britain. Without the subsidies, the green grazing in the valley of the River Exe would be gone.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/sheep-farming-is-heavily-subsidized-in-great-britain-without-the/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [I think that any writer who is commercial, who sells a lot of books, has to face criticism. Because the more hermetic and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/i-think-that-any-writer-who-is-commercial-who-sells-a-lot-of-books/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [Sitting with a deck of cards in your hand all day is an obsession. Visiting print shops and bookstores and libraries is an obsession.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-jay/sitting-with-a-deck-of-cards-in-your-hand-all-day-is-an-obsession/) [Ricky Jay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-jay/) > [If you're famous and supposedly wise, it's always a good idea to have a tape recorder in the room. Never can tell when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-elman/if-you-re-famous-and-supposedly-wise-it-s-always-a-good-idea-to-have/) [Richard Elman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-elman/) > [You'll notice that for many progressives, taking from the rich is not simply a necessity of budgeting but a moral imperative and a tool…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harsanyi/you-ll-notice-that-for-many-progressives-taking-from-the-rich-is-not/) [David Harsanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harsanyi/) > [I guess I'm the queen of the Web series. Yeah, right. I'm not at all. I'm on 'Leap Year,' and previously I've done 'Supermoms'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-warner/i-guess-i-m-the-queen-of-the-web-series-yeah-right-i-m-not-at-all-i-m/) [Julie Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-warner/) > [All the things that people like me supposedly don't do, I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-olbermann/all-the-things-that-people-like-me-supposedly-don-t-do-i-do/) [Keith Olbermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-olbermann/) > [There are indeed 'values' in the Harry Potter series, but they're confused with anti-values. Potterworld is a scrambled moral universe. There are Christian symbols…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-o-brien/there-are-indeed-values-in-the-harry-potter-series-but-they-re/) [Michael O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-o-brien/) > [All of my books, which are supposedly, I mean they're called YA novels, my hope is that adults would find no reason not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-tobin-anderson/all-of-my-books-which-are-supposedly-i-mean-they-re-called-ya-novels/) [Matthew Tobin Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-tobin-anderson/) > [“You don't just get over it. And it doesn't make any difference if you're supposedly a grown-up. It never goes away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-kinsella/you-don-t-just-get-over-it-and-it-doesn-t-make-any-difference-if-you/) [Sophie Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-kinsella/) > [As to whether the people who were supposedly to put up the money and did put it up or whether it was Arthur's own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-porter/as-to-whether-the-people-who-were-supposedly-to-put-up-the-money-and/) [Peter Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-porter/) > [We are placed in the genus of Homo, which is Latin for man - Homo sapiens: supposedly wise men. I sometimes think - wonder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-johanson/we-are-placed-in-the-genus-of-homo-which-is-latin-for-man-homo/) [Donald Johanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-johanson/) > [I grew up near the University of Michigan, so we'd sneak into college parties. That's where my acting started - lying about the professors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mircea-monroe/i-grew-up-near-the-university-of-michigan-so-we-d-sneak-into-college/) [Mircea Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mircea-monroe/) > [Many young people now end a discussion with the supposedly definitive and unanswerable statement that such is their opinion, and their opinion is just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/many-young-people-now-end-a-discussion-with-the-supposedly-definitive/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) ## More by P. J. O'Rourke > [I'm fascinated by political enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/i-m-fascinated-by-political-enthusiasm/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [In comparative terms, there's no poverty in America by a long shot. Heritage Foundation political scientist Robert Rector has worked up figures showing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/in-comparative-terms-there-s-no-poverty-in-america-by-a-long-shot/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [The Democrats said, "We don't know what's wrong with America, but we can fix it." The Republicans said, "There's nothing wrong with America, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/the-democrats-said-we-don-t-know-what-s-wrong-with-america-but-we-can/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [At Epcot Center the Disney corporation has focused its attention on two things greatly in need of Disneyfication: the tedious future and the annoying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/at-epcot-center-the-disney-corporation-has-focused-its-attention-on/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [So-called Western Civilization, as practised in half of Europe, some of Asia and a few parts of North America, is better than anything else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/so-called-western-civilization-as-practised-in-half-of-europe-some-of/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [My whole family can talk. They are all car salesmen. They are all funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/my-whole-family-can-talk-they-are-all-car-salesmen-they-are-all-funny/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [It was Ronald Reagan who used to say that the 10 most frightening words in the English language are, "I'm from the federal government,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/it-was-ronald-reagan-who-used-to-say-that-the-10-most-frightening/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Gun violence has cost us too many political leaders, and hardly ever the worst ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/gun-violence-has-cost-us-too-many-political-leaders-and-hardly-ever/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Pete Seeger is a modest, unassuming, cheerful, and kind-natured man. He's a good folk singer, if you can stand folk singing. And he's such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/pete-seeger-is-a-modest-unassuming-cheerful-and-kind-natured-man-he-s/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Journalists are notoriously easy to kid. All you have to do is speak to a journalist in a very serious tone of voice, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/journalists-are-notoriously-easy-to-kid-all-you-have-to-do-is-speak/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [I like to think of my behavior in the sixties as a 'learning experience.' Then again, I like to think of anything stupid I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/i-like-to-think-of-my-behavior-in-the-sixties-as-a-learning/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [I'll be 56 this year, I've got two kids, and I think it's probably time to go back to writing one-glove jokes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/i-ll-be-56-this-year-i-ve-got-two-kids-and-i-think-it-s-probably-time/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Something that comes to us, some gym shoe that comes to us as a result of child labor from a brutal dictatorship, where people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/something-that-comes-to-us-some-gym-shoe-that-comes-to-us-as-a-result/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Russians not only vehemently despise blacks, they believe Africa begins at the Ukraine border.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/russians-not-only-vehemently-despise-blacks-they-believe-africa/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Now, do I think the baby boomers tend to be self-absorbed? I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/now-do-i-think-the-baby-boomers-tend-to-be-self-absorbed-i-do/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) [Explore all 983 P. J. O'Rourke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) ## More Agricultural quotes > [“essence of the Agricultural Revolution: the ability to keep more people alive under worse conditions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/essence-of-the-agricultural-revolution-the-ability-to-keep-more/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [I'm not an extreme tree-hugger. I do believe trees grow and are a useful agricultural product that can be harvested without damaging the ecology…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-malone/i-m-not-an-extreme-tree-hugger-i-do-believe-trees-grow-and-are-a/) [John C. Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-malone/) > [The agricultural potential of Africa is unlimited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoffel-wiese/the-agricultural-potential-of-africa-is-unlimited/) [Christoffel Wiese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoffel-wiese/) > [“This is the essence of the Agricultural Revolution: the ability to keep more people alive under worse conditions. Yet”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/this-is-the-essence-of-the-agricultural-revolution-the-ability-to/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [An agricultural landscape produces food but it also provides water, requires biodiversity to underpin soil function, pollination and other useful services, and also has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-benton/an-agricultural-landscape-produces-food-but-it-also-provides-water/) Tim Benton > [In the country, without any interference from the law, the agricultural life favors the permanence of families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/in-the-country-without-any-interference-from-the-law-the-agricultural/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Like its agriculture, Africa's markets are highly under-capitalized and inefficient. We know from our work around the continent that transaction costs of reaching the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleni-zaude-gabre-madhin/like-its-agriculture-africa-s-markets-are-highly-under-capitalized/) [Eleni Zaude Gabre-Madhin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleni-zaude-gabre-madhin/) > [My father was an agricultural economist. In 1989 he was posted to Mbarara, a small town on the Uganda-Rwanda border.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-foden/my-father-was-an-agricultural-economist-in-1989-he-was-posted-to/) [Giles Foden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-foden/) > [Thanh Hoa itself is a rich agricultural province. Rice fields, a pattern of many shades of green, stretch far into the distance along the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/thanh-hoa-itself-is-a-rich-agricultural-province-rice-fields-a/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [One good thing about California is we have quite a broad-based economy. We provide more fruits and vegetables and produce to the United States…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-whitman/one-good-thing-about-california-is-we-have-quite-a-broad-based/) [Meg Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-whitman/) > [Aberrations in monsoon behaviour are not uncommon, having been with us throughout our agricultural history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-s-swaminathan/aberrations-in-monsoon-behaviour-are-not-uncommon-having-been-with-us/) [M. S. Swaminathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-s-swaminathan/) > [Sheep farming is heavily subsidized in Great Britain. Without the subsidies, the green grazing in the valley of the River Exe would be gone.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/sheep-farming-is-heavily-subsidized-in-great-britain-without-the/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [“1.9% had agricultural jobs, more than a 20-fold improvement in productivity per person. So if all people wanted was to be fed, the average…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-berleant/1-9-had-agricultural-jobs-more-than-a-20-fold-improvement-in/) Daniel Berleant > [We have a strong agricultural heritage in Kansas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ryun/we-have-a-strong-agricultural-heritage-in-kansas/) [Jim Ryun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ryun/) > [“Agricultural oil production is, and always has been, about industry. It was never about health.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-wolfe-ntp/agricultural-oil-production-is-and-always-has-been-about-industry-it/) Liz Wolfe NTP Browse all 56 Agricultural quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Supposedly, summer vacation happens because that's when the kids are home from school, although having the kids home from school is no vacation. And supposedly the kids are home from school because of some vestigial throwback to our agricultural past.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "P. J. O'Rourke" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/supposedly-summer-vacation-happens-because-that-s-when-the-kids-are/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Agricultural" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/supposedly-summer-vacation-happens-because-that-s-when-the-kids-are/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ac/p-j-o-rourke-184_agricultural_supposedly-summer-vacation-happens-becau_1103881.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ac/p-j-o-rourke-184_agricultural_supposedly-summer-vacation-happens-becau_1103881.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ac/p-j-o-rourke-184_agricultural_supposedly-summer-vacation-happens-becau_1103881.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Supposedly, summer vacation happens because that's when the kids are home from school, although having the…” — P. J. O'Rourke", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "P. J. O'Rourke", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Supposedly, summer vacation happens because that's...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/supposedly-summer-vacation-happens-because-that-s-when-the-kids-are/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/supposedly-summer-vacation-happens-because-that-s-when-the-kids-are/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```