Tue 28 Aug 2018
September is fast approaching and before we know it, the kids will be back at school.
This year is particularly daunting as my 4 year old will be joining her big brother at primary school.
With only 10 more days left of the summer holidays, routine seems like a ‘bad’ word in our house. The kids greet my ‘time for bed’ request with a huff and ‘Do we have too?’.
Hmm, yes! You will thank me for it that first week back, I think to myself.
Of course, they don’t want to go to bed early, at their age I didn’t want to either. But to be completely honest they NEED it. With the wonderful weather we’ve had this summer holidays, they’ve spent so much time playing and running around outside, that I don’t know how they’re even still awake!
But the truth stands, the summers holidays are coming to an end and it’s time to start thinking about that dreaded first day of school.
In previous years, we’ve failed to be organised and get the school uniforms and numerous ‘essential’ supplies for school early on.
In fact, one year we were actually racing around shops the night before!
Well not this year! Nope, I was well and truly organised and made sure to hit those Aldi specials the minute they went on sale. Well maybe not quite to the minute but you get the idea!
Buying school uniforms, pens/pencils, books, lunchboxes etc can get very pricey. With our daughter starting school this year too, we just didn’t have the pennies to splash out on all new uniforms for both of them.
Uniforms can add up fast!
Our son will be going into year 4 and has a good few uniforms from the previous year that will see him through this one too. So I didn’t need to worry about him so much.
However, our daughter had no school uniform at all!
We managed to save some money by buying some at the school fun day (second-hand school uniform stall) for really amazing prices. We also got some great deals in a local preloved shop and of course Aldi.
Our daughter has mixed emotions about starting school this September, and if I’m being completely honest, so am I.
On one hand, she really wants to go and be at the same school as her big brother. Plus she already knows the layout of the school and some of the teachers from dropping off and picking up for the past four years.
But she’s also naturally worried. She’s very much like me in that aspect! She doesn't know what to expect and is anxious about meeting new friends.
So in preparation of her going in September, we’ve been talking about the different things she might be doing in class. We’ve been speaking about how she will meet new friends and get to play with them at playtime too.
Luckily, one child from her nursery will be going too, so she’ll know at least one person in her class.
We have also been filling out her ‘get to know me’ pack from her welcome day. It’s filled with little questions that she can answer so that the class and her teachers have something to talk to her about when she goes. I love these sorts of things because they really help break the ice.
Also, for 5 weeks of the summer holidays, she’s attended speech therapy and really been working on her phonics and letters.
I think all this preparation will really help her out on that daunting first day. She will be able to remember what we wrote about in her welcome pack, and talk to her friends about it too.
My son, doesn’t worry about going back at all!
At his age, I always had that pit in my stomach when thinking about going back to school. But it doesn't seem to bother him one bit! Which is great because I think if he was worried, it would only make me worry more!
I’ve touched on my feelings a little bit already, and as you can probably tell, I’m not exactly looking forward to the first day.
I get like this every year though and I think most parents probably do.
It’s that anxiety about worrying if your child is ok. So many worries and questions seem to roll around in my head as the lead up to the start of September starts.
Will they settle in ok?
Will they follow the rules or still be too hyped up from holiday?
Will my daughter be ok left without mummy or daddy?
Will they make friends?
What if they’re upset and I’m not there to comfort them?
And so on. I could carry on all day, but like I said, I think every parent goes through it.
It’s natural to worry about how our children are getting on, especially when you have to turn around and leave them when they’re already upset.
I really hope my daughter doesn't get too upset when we drop her off. I’m not sure how I will be able to handle that. I know I would need to be strong for her sake, reassure her and walk away, but my goodness does it take a lot to do that!
I’ve only ever had to do that once or twice with my son. Like I said, it doesn’t really bother him that much!
We’ve got 10 more days left of the summer holidays and we’re going to make them count!
We’ll start getting back into a routine, but we’re going to spend as much time as a family as we can, before they’re back into the school timetable.
Until next time,
Jemma Malone