Have your kids gone back to school in the past week or so? How many of these things have happened for you….?
- I got so confused about the new drop off/pick up system
Our school has implemented a whole new system for dropping kids off and picking them up. Times are staggered and we have to make our way to a numbered area in the school grounds. It’s very well organised but did I still get utterly confused? Yes! Where am I meant to be? I’m 10 minutes early, will I be told off? Can I exit via that gate since it’s so quiet, even though I’ve been told to use this gate? So. Many. Questions.
2. I felt super emotional
There’s no right or wrong way to feel about kids going back to school in any ‘normal’ year – some parents weep as they get their children’s uniforms ready, some jump for joy. But this year threw in a whole new set of feelings for parents. Worry (is it safe for them to go back?) and sadness (I’ll miss them after they’ve been at home for six months) being the main ones.
I was looking forward to the start of term like an over-excited 4-year-old counting down to Christmas Day. And yet. I still felt emotional on that first day back. It was a big step, a big change. And the kids have been through so much. Sob.
3. I went home & it felt eerily quiet
Why is my fridge humming so loudly? Has my kitchen clock always ticked like that?
After six months of a full, noisy house, I came home from dropping my 9-year-old off at school to find that Mr P had taken the twins to the park. An empty house. Just me. It felt so quiet.
I didn’t know what to do with myself. So – naturally – I tidied up a bit, made a cup of tea and then stared into space for five minutes.
4. I feel exhausted
My 9-year-old has done three days of school and by the end of the week, I feel exhausted! I was well prepared for my daughter feeling tired – full school days after six months of being at home is bound to leave the kids feeling knackered. But I wasn’t prepared for ME feeling so tired.
When you think about it, though, there’s been such a big build up to the kids going back – the worry, the logistics, the what-ifs. It’s kind of understandable that us parents feel a bit worn out by it all.
So I’m being kind to myself, taking things slowly and not battering on with my ‘to do’ list like I normally would.
5. I forgot so many things…
So many BASIC things. Like naming my child’s uniform (oops!), taking a snack to pick up and how to pay for school dinners. I was so focused on remembering the new, important, things (like the new drop off time, new gate we have to use) that the other things just dropped out of my brain.
There are a few things I haven’t forgotten though, like it always (always) rains just as it’s time to do the school run. And the 9-year-old will always wait until bedtime before insisting on giving us a full minute-by-minute account of her school day (hmm it’s almost as if she is trying to delay going to bed?!)
