It’s the most, wonderful time of the year!
Or is it?
Depends on what one is led to believe on social media.
Are we supposed to be happy our kids are going back to school, or are we supposed to be sad our little snowflakes are getting older, not with us 24 hours a day, and we are once again sending them out into the big scary world where we have no idea what they are doing every second of the day?
The Facebook statuses and tweets are gut wrenching. “I don’t know how anyone could be happy about back to school. I love my children, and the thought of getting rid of them is just heartbreaking. I’m glad some people are just so happy kicking their kids out of the house and just dumping them.” (Note: I made this up. This is not an actual status or tweet. It just REALLY feels like one.)
Sheesh, after that guilt trip I’m ready to shove all three of mine back into the womb.
Personally, the first day of school brings me relief. I love my children very much. I love spending time with them. During the summer I took my children to the pool, to the park, on walks, etc. I praised the heck out of that Pokemon Go app because it gave us even more to do when we hit that mid-summer lull. But I also have limited funds and limited energy due to a chronic illness. I can’t be super mom every day and take them to amusement parks and the mall. So we had a lot of days when we were just at home. The kids got sick of each other and, like siblings tend to do, they fought like cats and dogs. Mine actually started to fight with the cats and dogs in the house as well. Activities I did suggest were shot down. Heaven forbid these children go outside and ride their bikes because their uncool Mom told them to! It got ugly some days, and now that school is here, I have two words for my darling angels;
Bye Felicia!
It is perfectly okay to be sad school is starting and to miss your children. It is also perfectly acceptable to be tired of your children and want them the heck out of the house. I need that break. I need to rest. I need a house without dishes and toys all over the place. I need to see other adults. I am a better parent when we are back on our routine, and I think the kids work better on that routine too. Our school year is chaos, but it’s organized chaos. The summer is fun for awhile, but then everyone seems to get on each other’s nerves, and it’s time to separate and get back on schedule. It’s just how our family works. I don’t need anyone on social media guilting me for that, even if I want to have a little bit of fun with it and say “Hallelujah! They are out of my house!”
So go onto Facebook and Twitter and say whatever you want about the first day of school. There are no right or wrong feelings about it. There also should not be any criticism of other parents and their feelings on the subject. All families work differently. So have a good cry or a glass of wine. They are going back no matter what!
