Who's Got The *Back to School* Blues - The Kids or Mom?
by Barb Niehaus

When my kids were small, I anxiously awaited the day that all four would be in school. Like the old adage warns, "Watch what you wish for..." They have all been school-age for three years now and as the new school year looms just two days away, I find myself more nervous than they are. Waves of dread hit me when we pick up schedules or shop for supplies.

What will I do without my *playmates*? The past three months they have supplied me with the perfect excuse to shorten my work hours and just hang out. Having them home is the next best thing to being a kid on summer vacation again myself. Hours were spent at the pool, the park, catching the latest flick, laying on our backs on the driveway watching the moon rise and our nightly ritual of lounging in the family room with our popcorn and video. We had no set bedtime and the alarm never sounded once this summer.

Now, as their tan bodies model the latest back-to-school wardrobes, the harsh reality of the coming nine months sets in. All too soon there will be 6:00 a.m. awakenings, mad dashes to insure that all four eat a healthy breakfast before running to catch the bus. Afternoons spent on hours of homework and studying for weekly tests. A calendar filled with PTA meetings, conferences, after-school activities. Weekends will be spent catching up on neglected chores and errands.

Sure, I'll get a lot more work completed with the uninterrupted hours each day but it will take Mom as long to adjust to the new school year as the kids. Can't we lengthen summer just a little?

©2001 Barb Niehaus

Email this page to a friend!