Who is ready for getting those kids back to school? I am!
I think this is probably the first year that I have really looked forward to getting the kids back to school. I know many of you are already back to school—I’m a bit jealous—but we are still a few days away around here. I recently asked some friends for BTS advice to see if they had any tips or tricks to get the kids ready and, for the most part, most of them said they just make the shift on that first day. And now I understand why.
Over the past week I’ve been trying (emphasis on trying) to get the kids to bed earlier, but they come back with “but Mom, there’s only a week left of summer!” Shockingly, they actually do have a valid point, and as a result I have been a little more lax than anticipated. I’ve even allowed more sleepovers than I thought I would a week before school starts. YOLO, right?
But we have been getting ready a bit too. We’ve done the token school shopping with all of them (why, I wonder in that moment, do I bring them?), uniforms have been ordered, backpacks emptied and filled up again, and we will get the haircuts later this week.
What I am most excited about for ALL of us is getting back to a routine. It’s been a long time since I’ve had routine around here. Ever since Ellie’s surgery on May 8th, we haven’t had a lot of structure. Even though they’ve been extenuating circumstances, it still has been a LONG time, nonetheless. I look forward to the kids being with their friends, learning, and honestly the break that it will give me from having to have them entertained or supervised for so long. Anyone with me on that part?
What I’ll miss most about summer:
– No set bedtimes, the kids sleeping in and coming down in their PJ’s, watching tv and just hanging. I know, I know, I’m contradicting myself. But I do like not having to rush.
– Trips to the beach
– Swimming (ok, the kids swimming) in the pool on hot summer days and sitting outside soaking in the sun
– Happy hour – for some reason, happy hour always happens more in the summer
– Grilling – I always do a LOT of grilling in the summer months
– No homework! Not having to “nag”—especially my son and ask how his behavior was every day at school
– No permission slips, papers to sign, meetings to attend, backpacks to empty
What I’m (selfishly) looking forward to:
– No more packing and unpacking bags—I feel like this is a constant in the summer
– My house staying clean for at least five hours on some days
– Set bedtimes without much argument
– The older three being on their way by 7:45am most mornings
– Mornings with just my youngest, Delaney, and cherishing our solo time together
– Having the time to get back to my routine of self-care (meditate, exercise and eat better), which tends to slip in the summer
– Long stretches of uninterrupted time to work on my business at Baby Be Hip and spend time with my awesome customers
As I reflect on this, I think that’s the beauty of the seasons and the school year. Every year come Memorial Day, I can’t wait for the summer to begin and the freedom and lack of a schedule that comes with that. And then come Labor Day, I eagerly await that same structure and routine again. When my kids were little, I never understood why parents of school age children desperately wanted their kids to go back to school. I get it now. I love them a lot but I also love them in school. It keeps a family (my family) happy and balanced. But I also understand why it’s so hard to transition gradually.
I look forward to next week as an opportunity to start with a clean slate and a new beginning for both myself and the kids. It’s a chance to set course for a great school year and a lot of personal growth. Hopefully it’s the same for you.
Are you as excited as I am about Back to School? What are you most excited about?
