While almost every other mom in this country is kicking back with a great sigh of relief that the school year has started again, I'm still waking up every morning, staring at the wide eyes of my children who have nowhere to be and nothing to do. Unless, of course, you count them informing me how bored they are.
Yes, we are part of a minority of people whose school year does not start until after Labor Day.
Sure, I was laughing in June when your children were already bored, while mine still had a month of school left. I assure you: I'm not laughing now. I'm actually crying.
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In honor of the handful of us who have to gut out a few more weeks of summer, I made a list of things only mothers with kids starting school after Labor Day understand.
1. Childcare panic
All the camps are closed now because the majority of the kids are back in full-time school. The art/theatre/pottery enrichment sessions vanished in mid-August. Too bad for me because I still had four weeks of summer left. Now I can't find a single thing to sign my kids up for in the next few weeks, which means that if I can't find a sitter to fill in the extra hours, I have to take time off work.
The good news is that by the time we get our school supplies, we can also pick up a Halloween costume.
2. Seeing pictures of everyone else's kids going to school
All my friends' kids are back in school. They're posting cute pictures of their kids holding new backpacks and fresh school supplies. Meanwhile, my kids are still staying up past 10 p.m. and running around barefoot all day.
3. No good school supplies left
By the time my school supply list comes out, Target's shelves are empty. There are no cool Elsa folders or Power Ranger lunch boxes left. My Target looks like a war zone. The only things left are a few highlighters and some erasers. The good news is that by the time we get our school supplies, we can also pick up a Halloween costume.
4. Back-to-school clothes include sweaters
Back in my day, I started school in mid-August. I wore new sandals and short sleeved shirts. My kids won't be able to wear summer clothes, because it will be straight up autumn when they finally get going. Our back-to-school outfits are wool and fleece.
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It's not all bad, of course. For those of us with kids who start school in September, we can at least swing by Starbucks after that first-day drop off and get a pumpkin spice latte.
