The First Week of School

Olivia and Connor at their elementary school on the first day. Note carefully chosen dress and new Twinkle Toe Skechers, and black DC tennies that probably cost more than my wedding dress.

As another mother sang to me as we passed walking our kids to school on the first day, "It's the most/wonderful time/of the year..."

There are lots of great things about school starting in the fall. Getting their brains chugging again. Structure. Friends. After-school activities. School is awesome for our kids, and it's exciting to meet the new teachers, see the classrooms, smell the fresh construction paper on the walls...

But do you know what totally sucks about the beginning of a new school year? Transition. This is enough to make me lobby for a year-round schedule. I'm sorry, but I don't care how hard you work to get your kids on a normal sleep schedule those last few days of summer and prepare them for school, that first week or so really stinks. Anyway, it does at my house, so if it does not suck at your house don't tell me because then I'll feel like even more of a failure.

No, you can't watch the gripping conclusion of the show that started at 8:00 because I TOLD you it was bedtime at 8:30. You can read until 9:00 in your room. AAAWWWWW, Mom! No, you can't go swimming when it gets dark out. No, you can't go jump on the trampoline at Jenna's after dinner, because it's a school night. No, no, no.

I just want to throw in here that Connor has showered every night without being told, gone to bed at 8:30, and devoured his library book until 9:00. God bless that child.

Olivia has had tsunami tantrums the last two mornings, and the one she had tonight was one for the ages. Larry and I just finished our therapeutic peanut buster parfaits.

Griffin is transitioning well into junior high, which is good news. But tweendom has given him some cahones, and he's beginning to push back on all kinds of stuff. Like, that personal hygiene is optional. I've been relieved to hear from other boy-tween moms that I'm not alone on that one. He's 12, almost as tall as me (and I'm not short), and has bushy curly hair that's earned him the nickname "Napoleon" (as in Dynamite). Hair like that requires regular washing and a little product to tame it...and he's just not interested.

Transition. That's what stinks about starting school in the fall. There are so many things that matter again that haven't mattered for two months. The school year requires almost as much work from the parents as the kids, and WE don't get a summer vacation from our jobs. Plus we have to work our budgets, pay our bills, plan our meals, do our laundry, clean our house, create your chore charts, track your allowance, take your dog to the vet...