Inner Thoughts of Parents at the Beginning and End of the School Year

Beginning of the School Year:

“This year is going to be different!”

“I’ve set the alarm for an hour earlier than usual so we don’t have to rush in the mornings.”

“Spending an hour each Sunday prepping lunches for the entire week is a great time saver. I’ve never felt so on top of things!”

“Aww, look at all these cute lunchbox ideas! That sandwich looks just like the Mona Lisa. And the kids will love getting these personalized notes each day. Pinning!”

“The kids might not be crazy about doing homework as soon as they get home from school, but that’ll be the best way to ensure it gets done. Plus, I won’t be distracted by dinner prep so I can offer help if they need it.”

“Ugh! He’s already torn a hole in a pair of pants. Better throw these in the play clothes pile and order a couple of extra pairs to have on hand.”

“Picture Day is coming! Such cute backgrounds this year. Should we choose the flowering meadow or the jungle waterfall?”

“The school is already sending notes home about the Holiday Concert? Better write it on the calendar now. The kids will look so sweet in their dressy clothes!”

“I’m looking forward to parent-teacher conferences. It’ll be great to get on the same page as the teachers so we can work together to optimize the kids’ learning.”

“The kids sure do bring a lot of papers home each day. I’m glad I got a three-ring binder for each of them. It’s so easy to keep ahead of the paper clutter when I put their school- and artwork in their memory books right away.”

End of the School Year:

“We have to leave in 30 minutes. I’ll just hit the snooze button one. more. time.”

“Don’t forget to do something for Teacher Appreciation Day. Don’t forget to do something for Teacher Appreciation Day. Don’t forget to do something for Teacher Appreciation Day. ARRRGH!! I FORGOT TO DO SOMETHING FOR TEACHER APPRECIATION DAY!”

“I reallllly need to go grocery shopping. Will the lunch monitor flag me as a ‘Parent to Watch’ if I send the kids in with stale Cheerios, raisins that were grapes when I bought them, and ketchup packets?”

“Spring pictures? Those money-hungry thieves! They didn’t even ask if we wanted them before they sent the whole stupid package home.”

“Wait, what? There’s a Spring Concert? Did they even tell us about that?? When is it? Tomorrow night?!?!”

“He tore another freaking hole in his pants. Well, he’s going to have to wear hole-y jeans the rest of the year because I refuse to buy more right before summer.”

“Gah, I forgot to pack lunches! Again. Guess I’ll throw some cash in their backpacks and remind them to pick fruit as their side instead of potato chips. Like that’ll happen.”

“Holy crap, look at all these papers. That school alone must be responsible for the deforestation of several countries. There can’t be anything too important in there, so I’ll just chuck them all in the recycling bin.”

“What does she mean her science project is due tomorrow? They never sent a notice home about that. Did they?”

“Next year will be different.”

Related post: Just How Over the School Year Are You? A Quiz for Stressed-Out Moms