Unfiltered Truth: I’m Not Excited About Back to School

Hello Beauties,

So today I wanted to speak my Unfiltered Truth about why I’m not excited for back-to-school time. I know! I know! It seems like an unpopular opinion, but I know I cannot be the only one. Does anyone else kind of dread this time of year? Outside of seeing all the super cute first day of school photos of all the kids posted online; I can’t find a lot of excitement around this time of year, personally.

For starters, I really enjoy having the four of my children with me every day, all day. I do not get tired of my kids to the point where I’m ready to send them off for 6 or 7 hours. Granted, I’m a stay-at-home-mom, I get tirrrred, and love a good mommy break but those are like 2 to 3 hours max. A typical school day doubles or triples that. I don’t like being away from my kids that long, 5 days a week. Add in sports and extracurriculars that are essential to their childhood and development, how much quality time do we really get to spend with our kids during the school week? Because if you’re getting home after 3pm and getting ready for sports or other activities and out until 6pm or 7pm, add in homework, baths, dinner etc., and that leaves very little room for quality time during the week. I am all about spending quality time with my kids, together, and giving each of them individual and undivided attention. The summer provides the space and room to do that and for us to just be and do as we please without strict schedules and early bedtimes. Although my oldest two kids’ bedtime isn’t until 9pm during the school year, because we want to ensure we get intentional and quality time in, I still don’t feel like it’s enough.

Some have asked why I don’t homeschool? I have before and although I love the idea and would love to homeschool my kids until they graduate high school, homeschool isn’t the best fit for them. So, I must put their needs above my desires. It’s hard though. In just a few days it’ll go from me and the four squad during the day, to me and the two squad, my two-year-old and one-year-old, and I have to admit, I’m a little sad about it. Although I’m sure I’ll get a schedule, routine, and rhythm going with my babies it’s going to take some getting used to.

Then there are germs! I am not looking forward to the germs. When you have a one and a two-year-old, and then the seven and nine-year-old bring home germs… who gets sick? The babies. And when the babies get sick, the mom gets sick. During the school year sickness hits home hard. We stay healthy during the summers (apart from traveling sometimes). There simply aren’t enough vitamins and precautions to prevent it. Though our pediatrician always says it’s great for them, they are building their immune systems and so on—that’s the last thing I want to hear when the babies are cranky, have fevers, coughs, and runny noses.

Then there is always the added pressure for me of wanting to find the best fit for my son who is on the autism spectrum. Having to have meetings with the teachers and administration prior to school starting to ensure he’s given every opportunity to succeed can be overwhelming, because autism is so complex and nuanced there isn’t enough time in 30-minute meeting windows to go over all the things. As mom’s I think we all know and feel that no one will know and understand our children the way we do, and that’s one of the things that make sending them to school so hard for me. This is something I am constantly in prayer about because God knows it’s so hard for me to entrust my most precious gifts to anyone else, especially for what I see as such a long day. Why can’t school go from 8am-12pm? I think that would be enough time to get the basics out of the way. Wishful thinking.

Another reason I struggle with getting excited about sending my kids back to school are the other kids. Though we’ve had mostly positive experiences there have been some negative ones that stand out. Some kids are just mean. My husband and I can do our part of raising kind, respectful, and loving children but we have no say in the type of children they will encounter in a school setting. My kids aren’t that old, and we’ve already had to have conversations about race, differences, bullies and other topics based on things that have happened at school. Though some will say that’s life, the kids are resilient, and I can’t argue that, however, this mama bear doesn’t want to see anyone tearing down or making her cubs feel bad. I will call the school so fast and schedule a meeting with whomever, whenever, when it comes to them.

And last but certainly not the least, it’s the state of our country. The things that are being omitted from curriculum, added to curriculum, the increased threats of violence that the schools have faced over the last ten plus years, the fact that the kids must carry out active shooter drills as a safety precaution, and so on. It’s scary to think about, but the reality is, things have changed so much from when we were in school.

To wrap it up, I am not excited about my kids going back to school. I am however in prayer for my children and your children to have a safe, productive, and successful year. Join me in praying and trusting God to protect all our children this school year.

I love you for reading!

Shamira