Ours did, as of today. It makes me sad. I really enjoy having the kids home with me in the summer. When we homeschooled I loved having them at home. But Songbird was ready to go back to school. She waited anxiously for a week and couldn't wait to get out to the bus stop.
We sure had a wonderful, busy summer. Lots of fun and memories this time to be sure. And I'm so glad that Songbird got to go to church camp this year. And the beach house with her Girl Scout troop. And our girl road trip. And our family vacation to San Antonio. I'm actually double glad since we returned to financial difficulties that we weren't expecting. If we had known what was coming we would not have taken the vacations. Fall is looking way too tight, so I'm glad the girls got to have a fun summer to remember.
This year is the first year I have heard so many other mothers say they weren't ready for their kids to return to school. It's a new location and different friends, and it is a refreshing and wonderful change. Even the best of mom's I know are usually so ready for the kids to get back on that bus.
Are we all slowing down along with the economy and enjoying family more? Have I just started making friends with a different set of people? (Not that I didn't have ANY friends that enjoyed having their kids home, they just happened to be the minority.)
I'd say it was age related...but most of these new friends are younger than me by more than just a couple of years. And some are even older.
Whatever the answer is, I am really enjoying being able to say aloud that I'm not ready...without others thinking I'm crazy.
And after debating and fighting with myself every single day this summer, I declined the pre-k the school recommended I put Mighty Mouse in. She will still go up to the school for some "speech therapy" a couple of times a week. I just could not go against my gut. She's come so far since February that I am afraid to set her back! Pre-K in our district is all day, 5 days a week. Wow. Mighty Mouse is still not even done with napping off and on.
And this was a very hard thing to not do with our finances in such a mess. The easiest thing in the world would be to put her in pre-k and go to work. And she would survive. But would she thrive? Would she LOVE it? Or would she withdraw and close in on herself again? Would she end up hating school and affecting her whole school career (been there, done that)?
But now I am looking ahead and realizing that this is my last year at home with Mighty Mouse. I was going to keep her out of Kindergarten until the legal age, but I no longer think that is going to be necessary. God has been so good to us since we found our church. The times MM has spent in Sunday school, AWANA and Monday Mornings has been really healing for her. She is catching up to her peers now. She is still significantly behind socially, but I think by next fall all of this will be nothing more than a memory and a triumph.
Only a year left to just be a mommy. Then I will get to try my hand at something all new....being a college student. I'm doing things a little backwards in my life compared to others....and loving every minute of it.
I find myself wondering all the time lately about what I will do with myself when both kids are in school. It's been so long since I was in the work world, I think it will be a HUGE adjustment for me.
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet post, and amen to it. Something that was always so meaningful to me as a child was at the end of each summer, my mom would go on and on about how she wish we didn't have to start school. I knew she wanted to be with me!
ReplyDeleteI feel sure your hopefulness about MM will come to fruition.
Oh - and I really like the new look of your blog!
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