Sunday, August 17, 2008

Gearing Up for School

In June I was whining and wondering when September would get here. Now it's around the corner, and I am fizzling with anticipation and quivering with dread. A return to school means my days are once again my own. I am free to work work work during school hours without relying upon my in-laws' baby-sitting services.

The pre-school (not preschool) battles have already begun.

With Precious Daughter, the current battles surround school supplies and bedtime.

I am trying desperately to reset their late-night summer clocks back to school hours. The shortening days help somewhat, but Precious Daughter refuses to go to sleep without a fight. She sits up in her bed (as she is right now) refusing to lay down and sleep. She says she's not tired, but, golly, her eyes are falling out of her head and she has dark circles under her lower lids. These stubborn late nights create a helluva morning battle to get the heck out of bed. Most mornings she won't willingly rise (subject to much poking and prodding by me) until after 9:30.

Last week we spent over thirty minutes selecting a backpack from Target. I'm really not pleased with buying this made-in-China crap, but economics and a heinous shortage of American-made options forced my hand. Thankfully, I was able to steer her toward something that wasn't so painfully trendy like Hannah Montana or High School Musical. She finally selected a pink one with multicolored polka-dots and a monkey on the outer pocket.

Then, dear God, we moved on to the junk that goes inside. Holy moly. The biggest battle surrounded pencils. Yep, pencils. Last year, Precious Daughter spent much of the year not sharpening her pencils. Why? She didn't want them to get stumpy, even though that's the whole "point." We ended up with mechanical pencils with refillable leads and erasers.

Then we battled over crayons, markers, rulers, highlighters, and red pens. It's a stinkin' pen for Pete's sake, but in her mind there's still plenty to argue about. I spent the better part of two hours kicking myself for letting her come along to pick the stupid backpack.


Thank God she wears uniforms. I'd never have the stamina to bicker over school clothes.

A whole 'nother chapter is Precious Daughter's general upset at leaving me to go to school. There is lots of wailing and protest. It will begin on her first day of school, and it will continue daily through October. We'll have recurrences on at least a weekly basis through Christmas break, and it will return daily after the New Year until February or so, with weekly occurrences until the end of the year. It's just too much for a mom to take.

Oh, and that's just one kid. Mighty B. isn't making this easy at all.

Mighty B.'s problem is that he refuses to wipe his butt. The boy just turned five and he will not -- no way, no how, nosiree -- wipe his butt. He sits on the toilet and bellows:


"Mommmmmyyyyyyy, I'm doooooone!" (Can you just hear the melody?)

I ignore him and he bellows some more, so I tell him to get started and I'll check his paperwork in a bit. He continues to bellow and I ask him, "what will you do when you're in school all day?" I remind him that his teachers aren't permitted to help him.

Several minutes later, he comes shuffling out of the bathroom, springing his underwear between his ankles, "Mommy..." By now I have to intervene, or things are gonna get ugly.

It's gonna be a long year.

6 comments:

Wonderful World of Weiners said...

I bet there is a MOOB LOVER'S SOCIETY out there. Don't you think if you have them you'd want to post your pic all over and make a quick buck?

Hallie :)

Anonymous said...

Fortunately I do not have to endure that ritual anymore.
I am facinated by the whole pencil thing. My kids are the opposite. They are constantly sharpening them. If it doesn't have a pin point tip to it they are back at the sharpener. They go through pencils like crazy. I have found that the pencils made in America hold up much better than the crappy imports.

E

Anonymous said...

Fortunately I do not have to endure that ritual anymore.
I am facinated by the whole pencil thing. My kids are the opposite. They are constantly sharpening them. If it doesn't have a pin point tip to it they are back at the sharpener. They go through pencils like crazy. I have found that the pencils made in America hold up much better than the crappy imports.

E

Wonderful World of Weiners said...

I DO NOT HAVE MOOBS!! Even when I'm wearing a monkey dress. You take that back!!

Hallie

Wonderful World of Weiners said...

Apology accepted!!!

I love teasing you!!

MOOBS are everywhere!!! :)

Hallie

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh! I am so cracking up over the wiping your son's butt! Having been in the homeschool world... I know of quite a few kids that still call for Mama that are well over five! One is almost 9. Yeah, you read that right. You need to make a stand! Flushable wipes help... help you to be able to stand doing the laundry! He He! I am proud to say, all my kids wipe their own butts.

Hmmmmm... I've had to stay away from the ole WWoW because of the nightmares I get from some of her posts. I did comment on this post she is referencing here. I asked her if they might be hermaphrodites with a little sumpthin sumpthin extra downstairs... not exactly like that but, you know, close to that. Now I am going to have to go dig up your comments so I can figure out what is going on here in this comment sections. Blogging is so becoming like an onion... there is just so many layers!