What Back To School Really Means

I am a mother of two girls both in pre-school. To some extent, I am relieved when they are at school rather than at home driving the house-help to the edge. Like all kids their age , they are full of life and more often than not , they will make a clean mess of a neatly arranged pile of clothes or rinse their doll’s shoes at the kitchen sink.

So, back-to-school, is always relief in many a household. But it comes with a price. This is what back to school really means .

Morning madness – Please for your sanity’s sake don’t hit the snooze button when your alarm goes off in the morning. Having children go to school with half-finished breakfast will make you feel like the worst parent on earth. School mornings are crazy just the way they are and you don’t need any more madness. No morning is the same . One day your kid may wake up ‘having a stomachache’ (which you have to nurse first) or another, the van driver may be ‘more punctual’ than usual.

Homework – When your pre-schooler has homework, that means YOU have homework. So YOU have to be there. If you can, don’t delegate. You are the most important person to your child and it will have a much bigger impact if you, rather than anyone else, be there to encourage and help your child with homework. So be there. Whats more?

Over a one term period you will have bought 100 erasers and the same number of pencils and like 50 sharpeners. Don’t ask me where they go. They just get lost, in the house. Or maybe its just my house. Don’t forget like 2 dozens of rough books and drawing books for doing extra work or drawing.

For all your trouble, there are benefits. Apart from the child marveling at how smart mummy/daddy is (believe me this takes away any stress you may have from the work place), you get to be rewarded by your child’s outstanding performance at school and get to bask in the glory of their success.

Packing snacks – With all the quick fixes these days, tinned this, canned that, you are tempted to feed your kids with junk (much to their delight). Or, you can be selfless like your mother was, and wake up earlier than usual to make healthy snacks.

Snacks are a perfect way to give your kids pleasant surprises or simply,show love.

Hair and grooming – Away from your watchful eye, children will put soil in their hair and play in mud. They have even seen on TV, that DIRT IS GOOD! Thank God for dull uniforms because at least jackets can be worn two days. Salon visits will increase and be happy when their pants tear at the knees because it means they are learning.

On the flip side, neatly made cornrows and clean pressed uniform make your child look (and feel) adorable !

Lost and NOT found – By the time i finish this article, my kids will be back from school. Sweaters. Check. Hats.Check. Hell, check even the shoes. Once my daughter came home with one shoe. 🙁 Labeling and taking a daily audit of school items will save you from making several trips to the uniform vendor.

Now, there is a chance that you may recover the lost item(s). If you had labeled the lost item and take note of its loss and follow-up same day it is lost, then there is a 90% chance that you will recover the item the next day. If you don’t get it a day after, wait until parents day and pick a replacement (the newest you can find) at the lost-and found bay, live with it. You won’t find it. Don’t even think about pressuring the teacher to find your item because she will in turn, channel the pressure on your little one.

Sometimes, a kind class teacher may help find your item . Again, if and only if its LABELED.

Labeling items – Don’t even go there. I could write a whole blog post on all the items my kids have lost at school, and guess what? They weren’t labeled. Lets see how far (back) my  HATE for needlework will get me. 🙂

Back to school is here anyway and the madness is about to begin. That is why we took time last weekend  to celebrate the just ended school holiday..

The girls having fun

Now, if i can find some two pencils, we can get started on the homework already 🙂

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