If you’ve got kids of school age then many of you are most likely doing a little happy dance that the new term has started. If you haven’t got kids I bet you are still VERY aware that a new year has started. If you’ve dipped into social media today (let’s face it, of course you have it’s Monday- work procrastination is key) – Your feed is likely littered with the obligatory Back- To -School / Haven’t they Grown / Stop Growing Up So Fast good luck photos. No shade intended, I posted mine this morning too!
I’m not one of those mums that hates the holidays, but neither am I one of those parents that wants a perpetual state of summer to ‘enjoy’ my children either. The summer is notoriously tough when you’re a working parent, one or both parents have to take a fair bit of time off to manage the 6 week break. It can quickly become stressful and hard juggling everything. The kids, although in desperate need of a break at the end of the summer term, quickly become bored and irritable as the holidays roll on.
The money you spend as well is crazy – all holiday prices are bumped up, summer parking fees are applied everywhere and you feel the pressure to entertain and amuse. After several lockdowns there are only so many ‘free’ walks and picnics in parks that you can all collectively face!
Talking of massive expenses, summer food bills are MENTAL! I’m so bored of feeding my kids all day, everyday – I’m curious did anyone actually succeed in filling their kids up this summer? Hats off if you did, to listen to mine you’d think that they’ve been starved for the entire summer break. Thank goodness for the return of school dinners.
The night before today’s eagerly anticipated return to school, my middle child had her front tooth knocked out by her father’s elbow. With the absence of 2 bottom teeth as well, this has left her whistling every time she speaks. She’s not the happiest and thinks she sounds silly which of course we assured her she doesn’t (even though she does) This time she has decided that the tooth fairy isn’t getting her mitts on this one having decided it’s her best tooth. I don’t know what she’ll do with it, perhaps adorn a necklace with it or use it as currency somewhere! It’s actually a relief that she’s claimed this one as I’ve still got all the kids’ teeth, which I know is absolutely disgusting, but I don’t know what you’re supposed to do with them? It feels so wrong throwing them out, but now I have a strange collection of tiny people’s teeth. What am I going to do? Present them, alongside their rancid decomposing umbilical cords, at their 18th birthday to show how much I love them? As parents we do some truly weird shit don’t we.
In other news this year I made quite a dramatic leap into adulthood – after 35 years on this earth I made the decision to buy an iron and ironing board. In reality it hasn’t got as much use as I’d anticipated because the checklist of what can get away with not being ironed is a big one. But nonetheless adulting took a new turn with this purchase and I dusted it off this morning and ironed my kids’ uniforms, polished their shoes until they actually looked like new (they’re not) and sent them into school on time. Meaning that I even got my littlest to nursery early. As Mondays go this one has been pretty successful, and i’ve got that optimistic glow that every naive parent has, that this term at least i’m going to get my shit together and smash parent life….I know deep down that it is only a matter of days until i’m either late, get called over ‘for a chat’ with the new teachers. Or send one of them in either dressed for P.E or not dressed for P.E on the wrong day. Or heaven forbid, send them in or out of mufti on the wrong day. But for now I will bask in this glorious Monday sunshine. Happy Back To School everyone #haventtheygrown