This coming September marks the very first time I truly realise what it means to be a grown-up parent.
You see, I've been cruising this parenting lark with my almost five-year-old and my two-year-old up until now.
While the road hasn't been easy, heck, it's been hellish at times - for the most part, it's been altogether CHILL.
I mean that in the sense that we've had lots of sleepy mornings and drop offs to the pre-school at 10am with a roll of the 'Can you believe we slept out again?!' eye to the lovely ladies who run the place.
We haven't signed them up to any major extra-curricular activities either; instead opting for play dates, long walks together or lazy afternoons spent making dinosaurs out of play-doh.
But this September, shit is going to get real, as Child Number One - Jacob - heads off to primary school.
For me, it marks not only a major milestone for him, his education and personal development, but for me as an adult.
Here are 5 reasons why:
1. School Uniforms Are Officially Scary
I feel like the presence of the school uniform in our household is going to be a constant reminder of all the laundry mistakes of my past. I will no longer be able to shove baskets of 'not sure if they're washed at all' laundry into the hot press, hoping against hope that some laundry fairy will come and deal with it. No, if there is an official uniform in the house then I officially have to make it available to the uniform wearer. And if it's clean and ironed, all the more 'Adult Parent' Brownie Points for me.
2. Lunches Need An Upgrade
There have been days where Jacob has been sent to pre-school with a lunchbox filled with crackers and jam, cheese slices, a Petit Flous, handful of raisins, a half a scone and a few apple slices. This is because we, his parents, have failed to do a weekly shop AGAIN and thought to ourselves that someone else might deal with that. Newsflash to my future Adult Parent self: YOU are the only one to deal with that. (*reluctantly places some empty shopping bags in the boot and signs up for a Clubcard*).
3. Homework Is On The Way
I haven't had 'homework' to do for about 15 years so this is going to be an eye-opener. A part of me is really looking forward to sifting through the curriculum with my son and making sure he gets the best out of it. Another part of me is dreading dealing with his tracing the letters of the alphabet over and over again, until we all fall off our chairs with boredom. One thing is for sure: it HAS to be done and we HAVE to work it into our new daily (grown up) routine. Sharpen those pencils..
4. The Notebook
The VERY patient staff at Jacob's beloved pre-school have been dealing with my failing to acknowledge their notes home for the last two-and-a-half years and here's why: it's not that I don't think they're important messages about my son, it's just that the ladies there have completely mothered us through his pre-school journey and always reminded us about trips, requests and important calendar dates. I'm pretty sure the upcoming primary school have far greater things to worry about than assisting me through my scatty life, so we are vowing to get on top of the admin with gusto.
5. Going All Extra-Curricular
I know that the school-going age is where it's all going to kick off in terms of figuring out what extra-curricular activities Jacob likes to do. Despite the fact that we aren't a very sporty family, he tells me he wants to play rugby and so we've signed him up for that for September. He attends a little music class that he really likes so that will continue for as long as he's enjoying it but what else will he discover when he goes to school? I have visions of driving cross-country for archery tournaments in the depths of winter and wrestling Ryan Tubridy to the ground on live television when he gives him a ridiculously difficult word to spell during the national Spelling Bee Competition.
Parenthood - here I come.
What about you? Do you feel as though your kids starting school is going to change the way you parent? Let us know in the comments on Facebook.
