It’s our second week back at school after a very lengthy, very pleasant Christmas holiday. Sending Mishka back to pre-school has always been traumatic. So even though I love my holidays with him, I always secretly dread the inevitable.
It usually starts around one week before “D Day”, that’s when the guilt sets in. “ won’t he be better off with me”, “ He is still so little ”, “ am I the worst mom ever? ”. Then I find myself trying to, very subtly, prepare him for that first day. I talk about his friends, his teachers, the great play area and all the entertaining activities that he has missed. Most times I don’t know if it’s him or me that I am trying to convince. After about an hour of “deep” conversation on the importance of school, my almost–four-year-old-son looks at me and says “ I’m not going back to school mommy, I am staying with you”…
It’s around that time that panic sets in.
Before we know it, it’s the last day of holiday and we (and by “we”, I mean “me”) are anxious and very irritable. Now I start to think about all the things I still wanted to do with him this holiday, and how I did not devote enough time to him.
Then the bribing starts, and this, as you know, will continue for at least a month.
First I take him to the supermarket for a brand new lunchbox and matching cool-drink bottle of his choice.
He gets the lunchbox and matching cool-drink bottle and a brand new, high tech lawnmower to the value of R400.00.
Then we go shopping for all his nutritious delicious school snacks.
He gets the nutritious delicious school snacks and five chocolates, three bags of chips, a bag of fizzers and a block of cheese because he liked the image of the cow on it.
Now we are all driving home, broke as hell while Mishka has a tantrum because his lawnmower is now “not the right shade of red”.
The morning of the big day has arrived! I get up at 5am to make sure everything is impeccable and packed before King Mishka wakens.
The bribing continues…
He has chocolate for breakfast, we skip the hair combing and he gets to pick his outfit for the day.
Day 1: Mishka goes to school with his flippers, diving goggles and snorkeling gear, I get a few apprehensive stares from other parents, but he is happy and there are no tears on the first day!
Day 2: Mishka goes to school with his wetsuit in 28 degrees, I get more stares from uneasy parents, but again we have no tears!
Day 3: Mishka goes to school in his Spiderman costume and his grandfather’s biker boots, I don’t get stares anymore, just a “good-morning Mishka” from people we haven’t met yet.
The rest of the week continues the same way and Mommy feels like a champion!
I’m penniless, drained and somewhat concerned about my son’s dress sense, but we did it!
There is purity in the love between a parent and a child. It has been demonstrated yet again that there is no sacrifice to big when it comes to our children and no length we wouldn’t go to, to avoid those innocent eyes from filling up with tears.
We wish all our adventurers a fantastic and prosperous 2017
Bring it on 2017! We’ve got this!
