4) The homework
Without tackling the issue of whether kids have too much or not nearly enough homework, what I’ll miss about this are the cozy, quiet evenings where the only sound is a child asking for help with a math problem or wanting to read their book report out loud to me.
Yes, I’ll even miss homework.
5) The wonder of learning
There’s nothing like the look on a child’s face as the painful, stilted sounding out of “c…a….t….” suddenly makes sense as cat, they master their times tables, or grasp a concept in algebra. I still love it when my grown kids excitedly tell me about something new they’ve learned, so I guess that part will NEVER go away.
6) Car time
While driving carpool… or even all the drop-offs and pick-ups can be time consuming and hectic, I’ll miss that dedicated time in the car with each child.
One wise friend told me that when you’re both facing forward and not looking straight at each other, kids seem to open up and share a bit more, and I’ve found that to be true as well. It was an easy way to keep up with what was going on in each of their lives. I’ll also miss hearing the banter between my kids and their friends!
In the interest of keeping it real, here’s what I won’t miss: mandatory parent meetings, reluctant homework doing, missing athletic equipment that’s not discovered until 10 minutes after we’ve left the driveway, grumpy kids on cold mornings, fundraisers (can I get an ‘Amen’??), racing to the store for last-minute supplies for a project that should have been finished like last week, hasty late evening fast-food dinners, because everyone’s exhausted from the school-sports rounds, dragging sleepy teens out of bed, and making school lunches.
Ok… I lied. I’ll miss it ALL!
What’s your favorite part about back to school?
[avatar user=”jmcdonald” /]
