The Bliss of Back to School

***This was originally posted on the Chicago Moms blog***
There’s a certain joy to having our girls back in school. They are so excited about having new teachers. They have new backpacks and clean shoes. They jump at the chance to leave early for school as it gives them a few more minutes on the playground with their friends. It’s the fun of something new isn’t it? I’m a little jealous. I always liked to go back to school. I liked shopping for school supplies and buying new socks. I liked putting all my stuff in my new desk.
Every year at the beginning of school I get the urge to buy myself new pencils, notebooks, socks, shirts, etc. Now that we have children I can indulge that urge and buy them school supplies without feeling guilty. I go through my closets and sort through my clothes, just like I do theirs. I clean my desk of its summer stacks and try to find the top. Hey, I might not succeed, but at least I try.
I always think I’m going to get so much done when they go back to school. I have visions of cleaning closets and straightening drawers. I think about going to lunch with friends and getting my hair cut. None of it gets done because I work from home. I don’t know when I think I’m going to get all these extra things done since I still have to work. For some reason I cannot get it in my head that just because they are in school doesn’t really mean that I have all this extra free time.
It does mean my time is more my own, even if it is work time. I work in peace for a few quiet hours, drinking hot tea rather than tea that was hot before one of our girls needed something. I can take conference calls without worrying that our girls are going to pick-up the phone to dial Radio Disney at the worst possible moment. It also means I can make myself a lunch without wondering if they will eat it.
After a full and fun summer, we’re all ready to get back into the school routine. Back to school is a new opportunity to make fun new memories for our girls. I told them that they will only be in third grade once so they should enjoy every minute of it. I look forward to enjoying it with them.