August 28, 2024
That soft rumbling sound you’re
hearing whenever you go outside your house for the next few days is nothing at
all to be alarmed about. That sound is
the sigh of relief of parents whose children are on the very cusp of returning to
the classroom. The only appropriate reaction for those of us who are beyond the
active parenting years is a soft, and maybe slightly snickering kind of smile.
The kind that conveys a “been there and thank God I’m done with that”
sentiment.
Here in my neck of the woods the
first day of school following summer vacation has almost always, in the past,
been the day after Labour Day. This year, that’s Tuesday September 3rd.
We no longer have children or even grandchildren going back to school. But we
do have 4 great-grandchildren who fall into that category.
Having great-grandchildren allows
one to step back from the hustle and bustle of it all. We can observe and make
sympathetic sounds but are no longer considered “front-line troops.” We no
longer have to figure it all out.
These days, I’ve heard, that
part of the “getting your child ready for school” routine involves purchasing
copious amounts of supplies—over and above new clothes—so many things that
there are lists handed out for parents to check off as they shop their way
through one or more paychecks.
I’m grateful that we never had
to contend with that. When our kids were in school, it was always a struggle
just to get them some new clothes to wear. Well, there was that one year when
we moved from one community to another about a half hour to the west. We had sold
the house and bought another and had enough left over to ensure that they all
had a few sets of new clothes to wear that year.
High School was the first
point at which we had to supply all of the tools of learning—notebooks, ring binders,
pens and pencils and what have you. Also, our kids didn’t have “pizza day” but
there was the occasional “hot dog day” and that wasn’t too bad. As well, kids
were expected to bring their own drinks to school. There were no milk orders to
contend with.
When I hear of the expense
involved in sending children to school in this modern age, I just shake my head
and shudder. I don’t know how the parents of today can afford it all.
The only real adjustments for
this time of year that we have to make, David and I, concerns the dogs. During
this summer, the oldest of my daughter’s dogs, Bella, a purebred Chihuahua who
turned 13 on the day before my birthday, has enjoyed her private porch time
each morning beginning at around 7 am. Yes, she barks occasionally, but she
purely loves being on the porch, surveying her realm. She enjoys her alone
time. Considering how noisy her fellow canines are I can’t say that I blame
her.
Sadly, now, with the return of
the kids to school, she will have to wait until after the school bus make’s its
run through our neighborhood for her version of “me time”. The last few years the
bus has stopped just a half a block down from us, and at about 8:25 each morning.
I know the time because beginning
a few minutes before that, all the dogs in our house begin to bark. They can
see out the window. They are smart dogs. They know that so many children gathering
like that in one spot can’t possibly be good! It is their duty as good doggos
to sound the alarm.
Life is day to day and life is
cyclical. What better example for that than the annual return to school for
children of all ages. School starts, and the first few days are exciting, and
then they are fully into the routine. They hopefully begin to learn, and one of
the things they learn over time is that there are holidays and breaks to look
forward to and, of course, their own little benchmarks—Christmas pageants and Valentines
parties and Easter egg hunts…and then the prospect of summer break once more.
Love,
Morgan
https://www.bookstrand.com/morgan-ashbury
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