If there was one comment I heard a lot towards the end of the summer school holidays it was this: “I can’t wait for the kids to go back to school.”
Mum after mum, from Jessica Rowe on Channel 10’s morning show – which I only heard because I was waiting in the obstetrician’s rooms – to other mums around me, commented that they were more than ready to send their kids back to school because they were driving them crazy at home.
It’s a pretty common sentiment.
When our children started their school holidays a fortnight before the other schools in town (our two eldest and only school aged children attend an independent Catholic school who have about 3 weeks more holidays per year than other schools, 1 in the winter holidays and 2 over the summer break) one of my husband’s colleagues remarked that he couldn’t believe that we would have the kids home for 8 weeks, he was struggling with the idea of having his home for 6.
But I have to admit, as the school holidays began to wane, and the starting date for the school term rolled around, I was not ready to see my children go back to school. In fact, I felt quite the opposite.
I enjoyed having all of my children home.
I enjoyed not having to be in school mode where everything is so frenetic. I certainly didn’t miss the school run, supervising homework, ironing uniforms and polishing shoes. I didn’t miss the after school grumpiness and less than ideal behaviour from tired students.
I enjoyed spending one on one time, where able, and group time with my children. We rode bikes – ok, they did, I sat my seven month pregnant body in the shade and supervised – and picked produce from our veggie gardens.
We played Lego, coloured in, put puzzles together, visited family, read books, played under sprinklers and mucked around too.
I enjoyed observing the children all playing together and marvelled at how they could create games that, at the one time, incorporated Minnie Mouse, the Avengers and La La Loopsy dolls. They played make believe and went on adventures and expeditions.
No, their behaviour was not always perfect and we had our share of fights. But our pace was much less frenetic, our mental states less anxious and stressed.
I didn’t want the school term to come around as quickly as it did. Eight weeks with all of the kids home had ruined me to return to school, and sending Miss 4 to preschool this year, meant that another child would leave home during the day.
Master 2 has become my shadow but he will soon be joined by tardy baby number 5, now four days overdue, and my house will feel a little less empty during school hours.
I keep telling my children to stop growing, to which Miss 4 now responds: “But God wants us to grow.” Which of course means, that’s it Mum, you can’t do anything about it.
And I can’t.
But I can certainly try to treasure the time I have with my children now. They won’t be this small forever. Thankfully, the school holidays are nearly upon us again, so I’ll have two weeks to enjoy having them at home before school returns.
And these holidays, we’ll have a new family member to join in too.
So it’s very unlikely that you’ll hear me say that I’m ready for my kids to go back to school.
I’d rather have them at home. Because they won’t be here forever.
Originally posted 2016-06-16 01:18:38.