They're back at school - Yippieee!!!

 

They're back at school - Yippieee!!!
15 January 2014

I can’t lie or pretend – I was extraordinarily glad to wave my three kids goodbye this morning, when I dropped them off at school.  And I’m not particularly good at faking it – I’m sure they know.  Perhaps my enthusiasm to be rid of them, gave me away.  My gloating expression too.

In an effort to be “efficient” and minimise the risk of potentially being “late”, I dropped them off super early as well.  Thereby stretching out and maximising my day as much as possible, until I fetch them again.

The six week school holiday has been fabulous.  Fantastic, memorable, enjoyable, fun, relaxing, entertaining, sublime, action packed, event filled, chilled, busy, delightful, etc. etc. etc.  In fact, it was utterly golden.  It was jam packed with lots of fun adventures.  A short get-away holiday to Plett, where we played tourist and did lots of fun outings.  Kids birthday parties.  The Noddy party.  Cousins sleeping over.  Friends sleeping over.  Sleeping over at friends and cousins.  A camping trip for one sprog.  Get-togethers with family and friends.  Meals shared with others.  Picnics.  The beach.  Supertubes.  Nature Reserve.  Family get-away to the family holiday house, Kleinbaai.  A family wedding.  A few Xmas celebrations.  New Year’s.  Playing tourist in Cape Town.  Movie night vegging sessions in front of the TV.  Braai’s.  Home days.  Friends birthday parties.  Hanging with cousins.  Little nieces visiting.  Swimming.  Music gigs.  Board games.  Littlees camping at home.  Many magic memory making family moments.

But, I.  Am.  Ready.  For.  Some.  Quiet.  Adult.  Me.  Time.

During the holidays, we relax.  Routine goes for a ball.  Bedtime too.  And thus, there is no real adult only time.  Very often, the kids go to bed after me.  One night Amber and a cousin pulled an all-nighter.  It’s a kid/tween/teen thing.  Always on the lookout for ways to cheat sleep.

I am now so over it.

In fact, I don’t understand why school can’t keep them for longer?  What’s with the whole fetching them at 14h15 thing?  For the fees I’m paying surely they can stretch the day out a bit?  As a semi-affordable baby-sitting service, school is actually not all that bad.  I know where they are.  I know they are safe.  I know they’ve got food – cause I packed some in for them.  The bit about them getting an education at the same time, is a marvellous side bonus.  Such a score!

I will miss the relaxed holiday feel, now that the term has started.  The mornings where everyone flops around and I make waffles for breakfast, or we have an early-ish morning swim.  Playing board games with the kids and staying up late watching movies with them.  In general, I enjoy their company.

But just on the very last afternoon of the holiday, my kids started getting more and more scratchy with each other.  Now to be fair, they’re scratchy pretty regularly.  It’s a sibling thing.  But by yesterday afternoon, we were in the red zone.  I understand that a part of it, was probably apprehension about starting a new school year.  Sadness that the holiday is coming to an end.  And that sinking feeling that homework and school is going to kick off with a vengeance from the very first day.

So, for now, for this very moment, I am elated.  My home is quiet.  Apart from my domestic miracle worker, whom I love with a passion.  And my cleaning crew outside, noisily inflating and cleaning Jumping Castles.  No kids are bickering.  No kiddies TV on in the lounge.  No one other than myself, stating they’re hungry or thirsty.  No one asking me to look at something they want to show me.  No one demanding my attention – usually to settle a dispute.  No one bugging me and asking me if they can go on the computer or my cell phone.

Chances are, by this afternoon when I fetch them, and they come home with a truckload of books for me to cover, homework to supervise and reply slips to complete, I’ll long for the holidays once more.  They’ll drag themselves into the house, bags trailing behind them.  Forget to unpack their lunch boxes, school uniforms strewed everywhere.

But perhaps, that’s a part of the no-children-in-the-mornings-deal.  The price I have to pay for some much needed sanity and quiet time, whilst they’re at school. 

Actually, it’s not such a bad exchange.

And so, this afternoon, when I fetch them and they’re all eagerly telling me about their first days, I’ll listen with enthusiasm, making all of the right noises.  They’ll rattle off who the friends in their classes are, how much they like or dislike their teachers, and relate a funny anecdote or two about their day.  I’ll “ooh” and “aah” at all of the right places, and put my interested, happy face on.

And it will be genuine.  Because I love them and because I care.  I enjoy knowing what’s happening in their lives.

However, I am quite happy to admit, that at the same time, I will most definitely lie to them.  To all three of them.  It’s the truth.  And I refuse to feel guilty about it.

I’ll look all three of them straight in the eye, and say:

“Mommy missed you sooo much today!”

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