Blink of an eye – Tuesday supplemental
Not so long back, they started Pre-school and such like. Their exposure was staggered. 30 minutes for the first day. Internment with constant screaming. The time was gradually increased until a whole morning of three and a half hours was achieved.
Now as they start 4th, 3rd and 2nd grade, I rather think that this would be a good approach again. It seems grossly unfair that they should be expected to spend a whole day in school, 6 hours and 25 minutes. Draconian. They should be allowed to gently ease into the new school year by small increments, after weeks of idleness. It's not that I won't enjoy my child free hours, it's more a question of sharing. Recently, my eldest son has been talking prodigiously, for a whole 4 days in fact. This means that for the many other days in the long summer holiday, he wasn't. I need to rewind the summer holidays to the beginning, so I can have the benefit of all those missed talking days. Why should the school get them instead? Maybe I could rewind to when he was two and a half, a re-run? Then it was that all the lovely little baby words started to fade and fizzled out like a damp squib.
I have no evidence in support, but after 8 years, I know that the school squanders his word bank during the day and then returns my son to me, silent. I am not a good sharer. I content myself with the knowledge that the first fortnight consists of two four day weeks.
I focus on the label of the liquid multivitamins, give up and take a glug to wash down a couple of Ibrupofen.
I pick up the abandoned play things, the toilet brush, screw driver, curtain pull and magic wand. I look across at the bank of idle timers on the table that have no-one to sequence, coax and calm. I need a complete rest. Six hours and 25 minutes.
Instead I commit myself to hard labour in the garden because my cherry tomatoes have a personality disorder. They've invaded the Honeysuckle . I need to prune their ambitions as they dangle over the 10 foot fence. Maybe? I dither. I decide to conduct a scientifically, controlled experiment. How long does it take to turn your body into a pickled walnut? Bath or shower? I pick up the timer, the egg one. I set it for two hours and 15 minutes. I don't want to forget that appointment at the manicurist. I turn the timer on and my brain off.
August 28th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
That chocolate croissant is enough to distract any problem.
August 28th, 2007 at 1:49 pm
I can understand why you don’t want to share… but all I heard was 6 hours and 25 minutes of alone time…
August 28th, 2007 at 2:50 pm
I’m with Melissa… next Tues, next Tues… full time, Gr’s 1 and 3. The 3 will be fine… the 1.. I’m suppose to have an orientation this week.. It’s Tues.. no calls, no emails. I emailed today.
Did I mention I was terrified for the little one???
Sheri
August 28th, 2007 at 3:33 pm
It is so unfair when I have someone else watching my son and he is perfectly cute. Then he gets home and is asleep or cranky.
Time does fly!
August 28th, 2007 at 5:23 pm
Hello,
I so enjoy reading your blog. I cannot adequately describe it, but in short, you write well, with both humour and pathos. Would it be o.k. if I pass your blog address along to some of the families I work with?
August 28th, 2007 at 5:51 pm
LOL! SO how long *did* it take you to turn into a prune/pickled walnut? I keep thinking I have “free” time now that Nik is in school again yet, somehow, the days are gobbled up and next thing I know it’s time to pick up my wild child at school!
August 28th, 2007 at 6:36 pm
I agree…it is the quiet time I enjoy. Now where did you get that croissant? Looks so yummy!
August 28th, 2007 at 6:45 pm
My kids are yet to be school age, but Becca is not going to preschool because I do not want to share the best of her
August 28th, 2007 at 6:49 pm
Joey starts full-day kindergarten next week. I’m glad to have him back in school, he is going wacko with no routine. But I am going to be missing my Buddy. Then Andy starts preschool the week after! Ack!
August 28th, 2007 at 8:25 pm
“Free Time”? Jesus God. That croissant looks delicious. Enough to take my mind off the fact that I haven’t the former…
August 28th, 2007 at 8:31 pm
The free time or the croissant or both? Funnily enough I actually bought it as the Boulanger, and it was a damned fine feast, fit for a King, or some other minor dignitary like myself!
Your humble serf,
Maddy
August 29th, 2007 at 6:46 am
I felt the same way when Patrick was at preschool (except there was no alone time, I was his shadow since we didn’t have the official dx yet). He would try so hard at school and I’d drag a screaming, cranky, uncommunicative child home and deal with the fallout. Even now, they get the best of him in kindy, although it got better at the end of last year and I’m hoping it’ll stay that way.
August 29th, 2007 at 6:34 pm
That’s totally unfair! I like your rewind idea. Man! The new talking/lots talking, very exciting. It must be so different.
Our first day of school was yesterday. Both kids – on same bus, same school, off same bus. Heaven, but I was at Staples and I felt a bit lonely with Sydney’s description of what each aisle holds. At Subway, I felt funny not ordering the kid pack along with my sandwich. I’m happy the lady that seems to always help us didn’t ask me where she was, I would’ve teared up. They got off the bus later on, and they both seemed a year older. It was weird.