“Its the most wonderful time of the year!” Does anyone remember those Staples ads? It is, for many reasons, the truth.
With teh start of the school year, which is earlier here than in other places, it is time to get back to normal. The lax days of summer are coming to an end and it is time to get back on schedule. The endless summer nights are over, bed time is back, and it is enforced, nightly reading resumes and the video game time is reduced.
I have been called mean, told I am not my son’s friend anymore, and have been told I don’t want him to have any more fun ever. Yes, I am mean mommy. Why? Because I want him to be ready for school to start again. I don’t want to be getting him back to a regular school schedule and routine the day before school starts.
It takes a child 10 days to get on a routine, so we have started the routine again. This has been hard for my son this year, especially since he has a lot more friends than he had in the past, and he wants to get in as much playing time as he can. But it has also been a relief to him, too. He has been getting tired of playing with the same people day in and day out. Some of the friends have been getting attitudes and just expecting him to come out to play, and asking me for an explanation when I say he can’t or doesn’t want to come out. I don’t have to explain myself to 8, 9, and 10 year olds.
In getting ready for school to start again, the hardest thing on my son has been cleaning his room I cleaned it to start the summer, and then washed my hands of it once ti was done. He has been told he will start school with a clean bed room no matter how it has to be done. So, if it is not done by Saturday, I will black bag it.
It was also time for a hair cut. Over the summer, we skipped a few. But, it was time for the back to school hair cut now. And he did not like it one bit! When I give him a hair cut, he cries, but when he goes to a barber shop, he is fine. How traumatized he is, mommy did his hair cut. To make it easier, I gave both son and husband a hair cut yesterday. My boys are so handsome when they get hair cuts! Even though husband had me trim his beard, which I don’t like doing (I like the beard, lol).
Son is also angry because he has to get back to showering every night. During the summer, we are lax about that and he only showers once every few days, but for school, he will do it every night before bed.
No more late dinners, no more lazy nights with no bed time. We are getting back to our routines, son showers at 8, lays out his uniform for the next day after showering, and 8:30 to 9 he spends a half an hour reading before bed. The tv is turned off from the time he gets out of the shower until bed.
It is time to make sure his alarm clock is working, even though I get him up for school, he likes having the alarm clock, it is time to be sure his radio in his room works since he likes to listen to music while doing his homework, it is time to make sure he has the supplies at home for homework he needs. After school snacks need to be stocked and it is time to prewash all uniforms.
It IS the most wonderful time of the year! A back pack has been purchased, school supplies have been sent, registration forms have been filed out, and it is that time of year again! The start of school also signals the approaching holiday season with birthdays, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas right around the corner! As soon as the back to school sales are over, the local Wally World will begin to roll out their Christmas overstock from last year, signaling the earlier and earlier start to Christmas shopping season!
What a great time of year! There is a crispness to the air, or at least there soon will be, and the colder temperatures are on the way! I can’t wait!