Happy School Year ~ Mother Rant

I love smart people. I want my children to be smart people. School is one place to learn things, but let's not forget the importance of learning at home. Too often we experience the lack of common courtesies in the way people treat each other.

It kills me and makes me proud at the same time when people talk about how polite my children are. . . .like it's strange. The fact of the matter is that it is strange for a 4 and 5 year old to have manners. It shouldn't be, but it is. My sons say "Please" and "Thank You" it is a part of how we interact at home and a part of how they are expected to act when they are not home.

My teen aged daughters, though at times they may lose their minds a little, are respectful and polite. They try to be helpful and know how to do things like cook, clean and take care of basic personal needs. Don't get me wrong. We have our moments when they are nuts. A trip down the hallway on the old "mommypult" can bring them back to reality. It is the little things, you know? That keep things together. It feels good to have my daughter tell me that she is starting to notice how different her upbringing is from that of her friends. She told me of a comment made by a family friend about the fact that she can cook. The woman said that young women these days don't know their way around the kitchen. That conversation highlighted for my daughter that there was something different about the way she was being raised versus her friends.

Anyway! School has started and this is the first year that everyone is involved in school outside the home. I don't know how to act with the house all quiet after I get back from my "Morning Mommy Rounds." Today, I'm tired. Very tired. I just want to lie down and sleep for 6 or more straight hours. I didn't get to do that for the first day. It was my own fault.

A new school year is full of possibilities. New friends, old friends, new teachers, old teachers, new subjects and new challenges, not to mention old ones. I want my children to be pumped up about all of the positive things that can happen while being cautious of the bad things. They know it is important for them to be in place on time and prepared for the tasks of the day. They know it is important to stay on top of the resources they need and manage the ones they have in a responsible way. It is an ongoing process. I try to be consistent. That too is an ongoing process.

This was all prepared on little sleep and even less food. Hopefully my next post will be more coherent.

More to come...