In two weeks my kids will be back in school. While I am delighted at the thought of regaining some level of peace in my house (and in my head), I am finding that there is more that I am dreading than looking forward to:
The morning routine. This usually starts with an argument about what constitutes a healthy breakfast, followed by an argument about what I am to pack them for snack, followed by multiple arguments about brushing teeth, brushing hair and getting dressed.
The search for the missing shoe. Every single day we have an incident with a missing shoe. Yes, we have a shoe tray where all the shoes are supposed to go. But we also have a golden retriever who likes to pick up random shoes and bring them to undisclosed parts of the house.
It’s no biggie when we’re living the life of leisure in the summer. Hell, half the time nobody even bothers to wear shoes in the summer. But when we’re rushing out the door for school, nothing frustrates me more than a single missing shoe! Frankly, I’d rather the whole pair go missing.
Homework. There is no part of homework that I enjoy. Yeah, I know it’s how they learn… blah, blah, blah. But it’s also the cause of the majority of the fights in my house between September and June.
The constant search for a sharpened pencil. Our homework troubles usually begin with never being able to find one single sharpened pencil anywhere in the house.
The bedtime routine. My kids require me to lie down with them at night. While I do enjoy it and I know it will only be a matter of time before they no longer want me, it is a hassle. We have a whole routine that must be adhered to. And Hubs is NEVER part of it.
Paperwork. OH, the paperwork! I hate doing anything that requires any form of handwriting. And for some ungodly reason, the huge stack of forms we’re required to fill out for school comes home to us the old fashioned way: via their backpack. Seriously, in this day and age is there really no mechanism for performing this menial task online? Aren’t we supposed to be going green? Wouldn’t it be great if last year’s information was saved and therefore pre-populated into this year’s forms, eliminating the need to rewrite the same crap over and over again. Geeze, my hand is hurting just thinking about it.
Back to the gym. Over the summer, I’ve become “soft and mushy,” to quote my precious 9yo. My 20 year high school reunion is coming up and I need to get my giggly ass back into shape. Oh and by the way, I hate working out.
The other moms. I am lucky… I have a ton of mom friends that I talk to when I drop off and pick up my kids from school. But there are a few (you know the type) who grab a hold of my ear and never let it go. This is the mom who will go down the laundry list of the things their kid did or will do that day, followed by a ten minute monologue about some spectacular feat this child recently accomplished, topped off by what they will eat for dinner that night. Yes, this I dread.
Activity after activity after activity. Starting in September, we will return to the jugging act of after school activities. Between tae kwon do (black belt testing coming up soon, which means even more classes), soccer, baseball, homework, required reading, extra credit reading and dinner, I’ll be lucky to make it to bedtime in one piece (emotionally speaking).
Forking over tons of cash for unexpected but inevitable crap. Think about it… it adds up: Lunch money, milk money (yes these two things are separate expenses in our school), PTA membership fees, classroom collections for teacher gifts and parties, class pictures, soccer pictures, baseball pictures, field trip fees, etc… When will I stop being surprised at these little expenses?
I can’t wait till my kids get back into school and out of my hair. But I dread all the nonsense that goes along with back to school time.
What do you dread about this time of year?
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I remember ….as for me…I’m Missing the boys already!
Thankfully our boys’ school just prints the same info and asks if we have any changes. But, yes, I hate the fees. I just paid $90 for both boys, and I’m sure I will write a $100 check for hot lunch that will only last about a couple months (and one never eats anything). I hate making cold lunches We are terrified of third grade this year. We have heard horror stories from other parents about the teachers (strict) and the homework (lots). At least our first grader got a teacher we’ve already had. I’m sure this year will bring lots of blog fodder for me!
Kathy, 3rd grade isn’t that much worse than 2nd. I remember hearing the same thing when 9yo was going into 3rd. It was harder, sure. But it wasn’t crazy, ridiculous hard.
You are hilarious! I was reading this and I kept saying….ummm…..that sounds like me! Thanks for making me laugh today!
blessings,
karianne
DEFINITELY the homework. My son has Asperger’s and a mood disorder, and also he’s 14. So homework is a constant struggle for us. He almost never remembers to bring his assignments home with him. If he DOES remember to bring them home, he almost never remembers to turn them in to his teachers when he gets to school. And heaven forbid he is given a writing assignment or has to answer an open-ended question like “what do you expect of me as a teacher?” or “what are some of your greatest strengths?”. He will agonize for HOURS. And there will almost certainly be tears.
Close second to the homework is getting everyone’s butts (including my own) out of bed on time.
Oh, the teen years. I am not looking forward to that. My 9yo doesn’t do well with open ended questions, either. I supposed it requires him to sit and think more than he’d like to.
Good luck this school year!
My older boys are grown and gone but I have 3 all under the age of 4 coming up now and I so dread when they start school. I hope you will always be able to find the shoes!
Oh the shoes. It just makes me crazy.
Thanks for stopping by, Michele!