While some mums are clinging to their children at the school gates asking, “Where has the time gone”, I’m sending my first born off to school, asking myself, “Where am I going to find the time?”
I’m a school mum now, many of you are.
For some this is your second or third or fourth time, you probably have this whole school mum thing down pat. For some of us, we are as fresh as the child that is swimming in their oversized uniforms (except less cute).
I might be crying on the inside about my son no longer being my little baby, but on the outside, I’m looking at my wall planner, author diary, work diary and wrist watch; I’m looking for the extra time required of now being, among #allthethings, a school mum.
Have you got time to start making school lunches?
As two-fulltime working parents with a five and one year old, every minute of our day counts. We are a family that rises early, and hits the hay early.
I would consider our days full to the brim as it is, and now I have to find time to prepare, healthy no less, school lunches. I was a tuckshop kid myself and I loved it, but no such luck for our little ones, we don’t even have the option.
I’d rather be sitting on the couch of an afternoon with my babies under each arm and a wine in my hand. Instead, I’ll be shooing them off to fend for themselves while I figure out how to put together a bento box of healthy snacks, that my five year old will only eat if he doesn’t see any colour (fruits or vegetables). Yes, despite my efforts, I’ve got one of those children.
I’m asking myself, how can I be in two places at once. How can I be #allthethings?
Will your business or workplace adjust to your new school hours?
Thank goodness for before and after school care. It means I can retain my current work hours.
However, that’s a huge day for a five year old, especially with the extra learning and human interaction. And I’ll be honest, I would rather start later and finish work earlier so that I could shield my child from the extra exhaustion (if that’s even possible), but I also know my work would suffer.
I’m asking myself, how can I be in two places at once. How can I be #allthethings?
Have you got extra time for your new bedtime reading experience?
The luxury of skipping pages and changing the length of the story to suit your timeframe are now things of the past.
Your baby is learning to read, for real. This means every page, every word, every syllable is important.
As an avid reader and an Author, it has always been my dream to teach my children to read and write, the dream however, didn’t have a ticking clock of exhaustion from a full day at work and then a ruthless dinner/bath/bed routine.
Ten minutes TV time to self-regulate before bed, is now swapped with extra time in the bedroom practising our sight words. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, unless that ten minutes of TV time with your children under your arm, was also your time to self-regulate, like it is mine.
I’m asking myself, how can I be in two places at once. How can I be #allthethings?
What will I sacrifice to be a part of my child’s education?
It’s always been my goal to be a bigger part of my children’s education than my parents were in mine. I too had two fulltime working parents, and they couldn’t always attend the sports days or volunteer for excursions etc. And that’s ok. I’m ok.
However, I want to volunteer at the school, I want to be the mum in the tuckshop, and I want to be on the P&C committee (or run it, whatever).
I’m asking myself, how can I be in two places at once. How can I be #allthethings?
It’s all about perspective.
This is not a blog to take the “fun” out of being a school mum, but rather to understand that it is another calling we take on. Another time where we need to re-evaluate our priorities and the way we utilise our time.
Perhaps we’ve always been school mums. Teaching our children until the time we can hand over the reigns for eight hours a day. Perhaps we haven’t lost any time at all, but rather, are getting some back.
It’s all about perspective.
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ARTICLE BY
Tiare Snow,
Fly in My Wine
Tiare Snow is an Australian Author writing about all things modern-day life from motherhood, our challenging moments, newfound freedom, love, and inspiration drawn not only by her experiences but by those of many.
A mother of two and wife of one, Tiare works full-time in the mining industry while studying her creative writing degree. Tiare is the Author of, SHE: a collection of you, me, her, due to be published in April of this year.
Her creative hub is for all women, mothers, artists, wine enthusiasts, avid readers, lovers, wonderers and wanderers.