Back to school is a lot of work for parents

Over at larger families we're talking about back to school, which reminded me of this column I wrote around this time last year:

The kids start school soon, and I’m stressing out about it. Not the school part, but my contribution—all behind-the-scenes stuff that gets the registration process rolling. Yes, it should have been done months ago, but I’m a procrastinator—there seems to be more paperwork required for getting one’s child enrolled in school than there is involved in becoming a United States citizen, and I admit I’ve found the whole process more than a little bit overwhelming.

There are immunization records, health forms, vision and hearing screening forms, and proof of residency forms, forms to apply for free and reduced-price hot lunches, forms to request a phone call when the grounds are sprayed with pesticides. There are discipline codes of conduct to initial, attendance policies to review, and important dates to post on the fridge.

I’m buckling under the pressure of all this homework, and I’m not even the student.

And of course, with the stress comes an urge to use inappropriate humor. For instance, on the “Home Language Survey”, I’m tempted to report that our family mostly communicates in Internet emoticons and abbreviations. Under “sex” on the enrollment form, I want to write “Isn’t he a little young to be thinking about that yet?”

But then I remember that class clowns aren’t usually the teacher’s pet. I can’t be sure, but I’m guessing parent clowns are not high on the list, either.

It all reminds me of the vast difference between parenting during the summer and during the academic year. During summer break, everything is so simple: the kids run around half-dressed and barefoot, and nobody cares. It’s easy to throw together a balanced meal on the grill…night after night. There’s no reason to find clean socks in the morning…or at least, no real need to make sure they match. The boys are free to dress to meet their own personal sense of style: For Jacob, it means honoring his penchant for matching camouflage with plaid; for Isaac, wearing shorts he outgrew last summer with a shirt he won’t grow into for at least two years; and if the daily wardrobe were left up to Will, he’d never put on more than a diaper (well, he’d probably go without the diaper, but that’s more freedom than I can handle)

No lunches—appropriately healthy, yet normal-enough not to make my kids stand out as weirdoes, yet filled with items that need no refrigeration—to pack. No homework folders to sign and return. No milk money to remember. No Scholastic book orders to fill out. No picture day to remember.

But if you’re like me, after a while the lack of routine can start to get to you.

I started off the season, like most people I know, thrilled about the free-for-all temperament of summer break: its flexible bedtimes, days that go on and on even after the kids are in bed, afternoons spent lounging in a lawn chair or running through a sprinkler. But I admit that as the summer wears on I’ve begun to crave the structure fall brings to our daily lives: pre-determined waking times, a set schedule, and a sunset in the early evening, reminding us that it’s time to start winding down. Sand and endless sun and lawn chairs are great, but sometimes we all need a stack of paperwork to remind us of the great cycle that dictates the seasons of our lives: a time to run willy-nilly, and a time to get down to business.

So as much as I love the summer, I’m also looking forward to the back-to-school rush. I’m going to attack this stack of paperwork—dreary as it may seem—with something resembling zeal. And when I’m done, maybe I’ll go out and buy a new bottle of glue, some shiny folders, and a stack of freshly-sharpened pencils.

For myself, of course.

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What back-to-school task could you stand to live without?

Comments

[Esme]

For me, it's the supply-buying extravaganza that puts me over the edge. Why does a junior-high school kid need 10 glue sticks? Especially since they never bring home anything glued anymore?