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“The best things about your kids starting school” by Karen Bleakley.
My daughter turned five recently. Five. My little baby girl is all grown up. The youngest of my three. She starts school this month. After what feels like years and years doing drop offs at daycare, it will all be over.
I can’t quite comprehend that I won’t need to set foot in there again. It still feels unreal which is why I’m not feeling upset yet. But I know when the time comes, I will be in bits. This is the end of what feels like the biggest, most intense era of our lives.
Life is going to change so much when she starts school with her two big brothers. Having seen the massive transformation my twins have gone through from prep to the end of their grade two year, I can definitely see that while one chapter closes this next chapter is going to bring so much independence and fun for all of us.
So yes, I’m apprehensive. I know I’m going to feel really sad to see the end of the baby and toddler years, but here are the things that excite me about having all of my kids in school…
I’m self-employed as a freelance writer and I run a few websites. I have so many business ideas and no way near enough time to put half of them into action. I love running my own websites and being able to help people – it’s a passion and a compulsion, not just a way to earn money. I’m so excited that I will have more time to work on things next year. I love being an entrepreneur – it lights me up. And while I know I will miss my daughter terribly, I also know that the time I am going gain when she starts school will help me to grow my skills and my businesses while still allowing me to be there for my kids after school.
Now your ‘time for me’ might involve giving you more time for shopping, going to the gym, more time to clean the house, or read a book, or to study, or maybe you’ll be able to look for a job or take on more hours in your existing job or volunteer. Everybody’s ‘me time’ looks different, but what we all have in common is that new block of child-free time comes with endless possibilities.
Daycare is expensive. I think the toughest financial time families go through in their lives is when they have young children and babies at home. It’s an incredible and precious time. I’ve loved the past eight years since my twins were born. I also know that our finance will ease up when all three of our kids are in school.
The extra time for work will also give me more potential to increase our family’s income. That will make us more secure financially.
I’ll admit it – I hate cleaning. I also hate having a messy house. I’m hoping to find some more time to dedicate to keeping on top of the house work when I have more spare hours each week. That will mean that when the kids are home, I can spend my free time having fun with them.
I love to see their independence grow and see them develop.
First they start writing the alphabet, then writing whole words, then sentences. They start with explaining pictures and then start reading words and, before you know it, they are reading whole books. Then they start strapping themselves into their car seats (which sounds minor but is a huge relief after years of being the one to strap them in!) They start being able to explain their feelings instead of throwing tantrums (Ok, this one takes quite a while to grow out of totally but you definitely start to see improvements!)
As they get more independent, they need you that little bit less. Which hurts at times, but it also makes you feel proud to know that the tiny babies you’ve raised are going out into the world and finding their feet.
After years of broken sleep, once your kids start going to school even the trickiest sleepers start to sleep through the night because they are tired after a day of school. Well, most of the time anyway. The worst of your sleepless years are behind you when the school days begin (assuming you don’t have more babies!). After eight years of mostly broken sleep, I’m looking forward to finally getting to this stage.
I know there is a lot to look forward to when she starts school. I won’t stop it from hurting when I leave her at school for the first time. Realising the baby years are firmly behind us feels like we’re closing down the biggest and best time of our lives. But I know all of the exciting things that lie ahead of us and I know the best is yet to come.
About the Author
Karen Bleakley is a freelance travel writer and the Founder of Smart Steps to Australia (a migration blog to help UK families move to Australia). She is author of Don’t Panic! A Practical Guide to Twins, Triplets and More, and the blogger behind the Tales of a Twin Mum family, travel and lifestyle blog.
What do you think are the best things about your kids starting school?
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