Back-to-school blues

Last week, many parents of school-age kids felt the sting of back-to-school stress. This week, it was my turn...

I remember where the stress came from when my kids were in elementary school: my own procrastination and denial as I wanted  to hold on to the summer until the end. Reality would kick in on Labour Day evening, when I'd have to face the fact that my kids had outgrown their shoes, that they had nothing clean to wear and that our school supply was scattered all over the house.

By the way, I think yummymummyclub.ca put together a useful line-up of articles to ease back-to-school.

You'd think it gets better, right?
This week, I couldn't believe how close the apple fell from the tree when it was time to drive our 3rd-year university student to his residence. 

We thought he was quite ready. But Friday, when his 10 a.m. doctor's appointment turned out to have a 3 hour delay, and we learned that he only had until 3:30 p.m. to get the keys to his room, we ended up having only one hour to pack... everything! Clothes, sheets, mattress, fridge, kitchenware, personal care items, books, speakers, amplifiers, computer, phone, chargers, extensions, school supplies. Name it. 

As he got in the car, his dad double-checked with him if he had everything. Turned out he had forgotten to pack his guitars... You'd think that the fact he's in the Music program at York, majoring in guitar would have helped him remember that, wouldn't you?

The day before, I helped a friend move her (3rd-year university in Maths) son to his apartment in Waterloo. Before we left Toronto, I heard her ask him to grab "clean stuff to put on the bed". In Waterloo, when she asked him to put the sheets on his bed, he had no sheets, had thought she meant a bed cover, and had forgotten his pillow. 

See? Our job is never done.

This is a photo of what awaited us when we drove our son to his residence on his first year at York
(during the Frosh Week).