Back to school may not equal a mom happy dance



As the school buses roll through the neighborhood, the groans from the children can be heard loudly. The summer fun is replaced with homework and long days. As I look around social media, many moms seem to be doing the happy dance. For me, back to school does not equal a happy dance. 

Here’s why I’m not overly excited that school is back in session. Don’t get me wrong. I do get several hours of quiet to do work. But, there is a trade-off. Think about the typical school week. There’s school lunches, homework, projects, sports, music, and those are just the kid related items. Don’t forget the laundry, house cleaning, yard work and the work that pays the bills. Add all those items up together and life seems crazier during the school year than the summer months. 

In our house, the school schedule produces a very long day for everyone in the house. I’m up at 5:45 a.m.; kids up at 6:15 a.m.; bus comes at 7:15 a.m., kids off the bus at 3 p.m., homework, dinner, leave to for swim practice at 5:15 p.m., home at 8:30 p.m. and time to finish anything else that is left on the list and bed might finally come before the late night news. Just writing that list is exhausting. 

In the summer, the alarm clock didn’t ring quite as early, the lists didn’t seem do daunting and life just seemed to happen. The family calendar didn’t need to be coordinated. I didn’t seem so exhausted. I was able to breathe more. 

Yes, I don’t have to oversee the kids 24/7 like during the summer, but the summer presents less pressure to be perfect. One morning we don’t have to make sure that breakfast is healthy, lunch doesn’t have to come exactly on-time, it’s ok if I skip a day of laundry (that must have team shirt isn’t needed every other day). 

So, as social media shows moms celebrating the kids heading back to school, I tread more cautiously. A few more weeks of summer vacation wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing.

7 comments:

  1. I get that busy schedule for sure. For me going back to school this year meant I was one step closer to son leaving for college and truth is I'm not ready for that. Unlike most mom's i'm not ready to let my baby go.

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  2. I'm in the bittersweet category as well. I'm sad they are away from the house and I'm happy I can get work one without feeling guilty that I should be playing with them instead of finishing something up. I could always use a few extra weeks of vacation!

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  3. As a mom that jumped for joy today I can see both ways. I have three different schools so this actually can be more stressful than the summer schedule

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  4. The school year is crazy busy but I really like that I can get more work done. I would like more time at the pool though :)

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  5. We start a week from today and I'm not excited at all. I'm a summer girl! And I just spent ten days in Alaska away from the kids so I'm not doing a happy dance for school. That doesn't mean I won't enjoy it, but I appreciate your spin on this! We all have such different experiences!

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  6. I hear you. I always had mixed feelings when the kids went back to school. As nice as it is to have time to yourself again, those crazy after school schedules mixed with homework can be insane!

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  7. I can imagine that the transition of a bustling home during the summer and then the the absence of everyone is difficult. It also means your kids are growing up.

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