am i the only one that hate back to school?

Of course we homeschool now but when my kids did do it I hated it. I hated sending them going back. And that commercial by target of showing the parents all dancing and stuff. always made me think why not raise your kids so you like them?? So that make me wonder am I the only one that hates this time of year? it seems that's all I see is back to school now? we don't statrt back to school until Oct. but we have been doing school so we get a longer break.
so tell me am I alone in this feeling??

 

Probably not but I LOVE back to school. I think it's a question of temperament really. I like quiet. I *need* quiet. So Summer break is really tough on me (I'm a SAHM).

 

There are things I'm looking forward to about the kids going back to school (routine!) and things I'm really not looking forward to about the kids heading back to school (routine!). :laughing: Frankly, there's no pleasing me.

On the whole, no, I'm not really looking forward to the kids being back in school. This is the girls' first year that they'll be away all day and I'm sad about it. I know I'm going to miss them!

 

I hate it for the money I spend (our school supply list and uniform budget this year is NUTS!), but u generally look forward to it. Paul teaches and has summers home, which sounds well and good except that I am still working and exhausted and jealous. And they have SO MUCH ENERGY when I get home during the summer and I just don't.

I'm looking forward to us all being on the same page, football season, and the girls actually being ready for bed at bedtime.

 

As the kids have gotten older, I do enjoy the kids going back more.  I think, for me, a lot of it has to do with my kids (and me) do much better when we have a set routine with occasional breaks.  It's the way they are wired, and they way they have always been wired.  It's also the time they get with their friends.  Even though we have a neighborhood school, there is only 1 other kid in their grade 1 street over.  The rest of their friends don't live within walking distance where they can easily socialize.  We have a couple much younger and quite a few in high school getting ready for college.  Not exactly what my kids are looking for at age 10.
 
When they were littler, I did miss them terribly when they were gone all day.  I got into volunteering at their school and now I work there part-time in special ed.   I started selling stuff on Etsy.  I found that by them being at school, I was able to get back to being "Marissa" a little more and "Timothy and Sarah's mom" a bit less.  Once they go off to college, I don't want to be wondering what I'm going to do.  
 
We still spend a ton of time together.  We all walk into school every morning together.  I generally see them in the lunchroom. I get paid to attend their class parties and field trips now. And we do things like today where we had a family fun date and we all went to a cool interactive zoo and had lemurs crawling all over us and then went to dinner together.  
 
The kids are excited about school.  They like it that mom already has a copy of the schedule for 5th grade so they know what their day will look like (that routine thing again).  They like it that mom has been in those classrooms to tell them what they really need supply wise and how to set it up.  I think middle school next year will be the year I dread. But I will find a way to be excited about it because if I'm excited, they'll be excited.
 
Marissa

 

I see your point, Kim.
 
I like it both ways- I hated the preschool routine we were in last year (school was from 11:20-2, without lunch and I had a napping baby at home). So I really did look forward to summer and summer has had it's ups and downs but all in all it's strengthened my relationship with both boys. They like being home with me and as they get older, I'm discovering I can incorporate more of ME into our relationship (verses more of a traditional caregiver). I couldn't really have hobbies out even last year- they were too curious/rambunctious/violent for me to do anything for myself. Now they have activities they do at home which I can choose to participate it, like Playdoh, or not, like Kinect Party, which occupy them for at least 30 minutes. Their attention spans just weren't there last year.
 
That being said, I do look forward to fall and sending them to kindergarten. My daughter has a speech delay which is rapidly closing (YAY!) but 1:1 conversations/time/activities with her would benefit her greatly. My boys are pretty good everywhere, but going grocery shopping for a week with all 3 SUCKS. It will be heavenly to spend some time with my daughter, spend some time on hobbies that I enjoy and maybe even catch up on tasks that seem too hard with 3 kids underfoot. 
 
I could definitely see myself homeschooling in a few years- I do like my kids, love teaching them things/learning along with them and the schools around here kind of suck, but want to pay off our student loans and our house, first, so when my daughter goes to K I'll probably work during the school year to give our family some choices down the road.

 

I don't like back to school either. I love my summers with my kids. Yeah, the lack of schedule does drive me batty at times, and I am definitely more efficient when I am on a schedule as well, but I just love my summers with my kids and by the time August rolls around, I get a little sad that our carefree time is coming to an end.

 

My kids love going back to school--they like the routine, seeing their friends, the challenges that school presents, and mostly time away from each other.  They are alternately best friends and worst enemies, and by the time school starts, they are ready to have time away from one another.  I like it because I am not exhausted.  In the summer, I work at the day camp that they go to--so, essentially, I am working full time all summer.  They love camp, but once again, are together all day.
 
I don't get looking forward to school equaling not liking ones' kids.  I love spending time with my kids, but as they get older and more independent, they need time with their peers, not their mom.  Oh, and I am fully certified and capable of teaching them, but would never want to homeschool them.  There is so much they get from the school interaction that I could never give them at home!

 

It just occurred to me that there is one time I am happy to see the kids head out the door.  It's in the summer when the kids are having sleepovers with their grandparents and dh and I get dinner out together without worry about Timothy's food allergies and just get to talk and visit.  I love my kids, but I love it when they are spending time with their grandparents.  
 
And tomorrow, my mil is taking Sarah out trail-riding at the stables.  I'm taking Timothy to a lunch and bowl (lunch and bowling lane for 2.5 hours for $10).  Each kid is absolutely delighted with what they are doing even if it isn't all with me or dh.  Next week, I have a inservice to go to so the kids are sleeping over at grandma's again.  Except they'll probably be hanging out in the creek catching crawdads and making boats.  I just don't feel like they have to hang out with me to be happy. 
 
I do agree with Sharon, though.  My kids love school because that's when they do get the most time and space away from each other.  We manage it in small chunks during the summer and they play together very well.  But they are ready for the space when school starts.
 
Marissa

 

I am the same as Steph, since I woh it is nice when they head back to school so we have more of a routine-I do however hate all the fees/supplies etc that comes all at once for 3 kids right off the start.

 

What I hate about back to school is that my kids were out *one* week and it's already advertised everywhere. This will actually be our first real year of back-to-school! My boys have been in half day preschool(2.5 hours), then half day K(2.5 hours), and Annabella did one year of half day preschool as well.

This year? All full day! We moved to a town with full day K, so three kids in full day. I'm looking forward to setting up a routine for sure. It's going to be quote the adjustment over here!

 

I dread back to school. Its so busy and hectic once they are in school. I have 5 in school and the twins are still at home. So our afternoons are hurry up eat a snack, do homework, go play, get ready for sport practices, dance or whatever they are in, eat dinner, get baths and then go to bed exhausted (me not the kids). This fall I'll have 5 kids in soccer, 1 in softball and my oldest works part time. 3 of my girls are also in dance.

We all love our summers where we just relax and have no set schedule. 

 

I LOVE back to school!  Granted as a homeschooling family, I see it more as Christmas in July. Hey, what can I say... I love a great deal.  I went to Office Depot today and walked out with 12 composition notebooks for $1.25 total.  I used my teachers discount (only on special occasions do they get the extra discount) which applies for homeschoolers and they up the limit for teachers.  Unfortunately, I go a little nutty each year and this is the year I say no to most of those really really tempting offers and use up all the supplies we have hanging out in the school closet.  We really did need the composition notebooks though as DD was ripping out partly used notebooks to make it through the end of the school year.