July 30, 2010

Dealing with the "back to school" issues is even more painful than the actual school year

Here we are about a month away from the start of a new school year and already I’m in a tizzy – while the gents of the house while away the summer days in relative comfort and idleness.  


Here's a small peek at what I've been doing all week: 

  • Struggling to remove Latin from the upcoming schedule?  Mom’s job.  Done, while casting the evil eye at the child who thought that taking Latin on top of Chemistry and Algebra II would be a good idea during this most important year where transcripts will be sent to colleges.
  • Selling last year’s textbooks for the maximum amount of cash in order to pay for next year’s textbooks?  Mom’s job.  Done, while wondering why the hell I’m paying for textbooks for a high school student in the first place – particularly since the school receives an un-godly amount of money from me 11 months out of the year.
  • Haggling with the school over the fact that the schedule has not yet been posted – although it should have been done on Tuesday – so that I can procure the list of textbooks I still need to buy?  Mom’s job.  Done, although upon inspection the schedule still included the Latin class!  Arrgghh!  Back to the drawing board.
  • Finally convincing the school to re-post the schedule sans Latin.  Mom’s job.  Done, only to discover that the textbook list isn’t set to be published until next week.
  • Succeeding in looking like the pushy, overbearing mother to the school staff?  Done.
 
It’s a wonder I got any actual work done in the course of the week while trying to deal with these kinds of issues – which can only be dealt with during the course of business hours, naturally.  Hmmm, upon reflection, not much else did get done.....sssh, don't tell the boss!
 
That, of course, is just the short list of things to be done before school starts.  There is still much to be done – like convincing Man-Child to go through his clothes to see what’s needed for the upcoming year (major struggle, as apparently, he has far more important things to do, like sleeping till noon and watching tv).  Actually doing the shopping for said clothes, with Man-Child in tow since I have been informed that my idea of what a teenage boy should be wearing is dated.  Hmmph.  Never mind the fact that basically all he can wear to school is khakis and collared shirts - seriously, how far off the mark could I get?
 
There are still shoes to buy – which is a totally separate item on the list from clothes shopping.  Because he’s even more picky about shoes than his clothes – hmmmm, wonder where he gets that from……I guess it's true that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
 
School supplies need buying.  Haircut needs to be planned.  Figuring out when to buy the clothes – because OMG he is still growing on a daily basis and we don't need him outgrowing the clothes before school even starts!  Well-Child visit to have sports forms approved needs to be scheduled and dealt with (which, as an aside was done today.  Guess what?  My sweet little, bouncing, baby boy?  Is now 5'9 and weighs in at 219!  How did that happen?!?! I guess lifting weights really will "pump" you up.)


Yeah, I think I'm ready for school to start back now.  Even though that means leaving the house a full hour earlier in the mornings, because that one little hour?  It's much less of a time suck than dealing with all this.....

12 comments:

  1. Yeah, I'm feeling real good about my only "offspring" being dust bunnies right now, haha.

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  2. Ahhh You are stressing me out! You know what I hate. When I leave the back to school shopping unti the end of the summer (gasp) and everything is picked over! I'm starting earlier this year:)

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  3. Ack what, paying for books in high school? I've never heard of that before.

    We just got a bunch of school supplies today. Two huge bags full.

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  4. Glad you reminded me to get the uniform sorted as we are away the last week before school begins again, so I must get organised!

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  5. Did you not get the memo that says everything is your job?

    As for growing, last July I took a photo of my 3 children, my 14 year old son was shorter than his 5 foot 6 sister.

    This July my 15 year old son is 6 foot tal, all I've done this year is buy jeans.

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  6. NOOO!! I don't want school to start cause that means me starting back to work!! YUCK!!! 2 more weeks for me.....:(((( Have your husband take him to school!!

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  7. I hear you.

    I am currently begging the school for the programmes of study ASAP. Cos last year they gave them to me in JANUARY !

    I also had to beg for the book list, find out the new convoluted process of ordering them, pay up and then be told don't expect them to arrive until November.

    All the timetabling and prep I have to do as a home educator is fun (am very sad person), but tussling with the school over bureaucratic issues feels like an exercise in throwing away a significant chunk of my existence in an act of futility.

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  8. Do high school kids have to pay for books these days? Yikes! Things have changed for the worse.

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  9. I hate doing all the uniform buying...shoes, trainers..etc etc...I will leave it a couple more weeks and then start tackling it. :0S

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  10. Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

    I'm not ready. Not nearly. Not even freakin' close! Taylor's leaving for college in 24 days and I haven't bought him ANYTHING. Too busy dealing with the MOUNTAIN of paperwork...and loan applications and medical forms and...and.....and....

    UGH.

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  11. If you're a pushy mother then I can't even guess what I would be called. A menace? Dangerously close to a restraining order? How about, ALL UP IN YO GRILL?

    Teachers fear me. I am the "oh shit here comes THAT mother" mother. Own it. Work it.

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  12. Oh many, you made me realize how glad I am to be finished school! Well, I have a semester of post-grad next year, but I'm dreading dealing with textbooks that aren't in on time, finding cheaper versions in other places, trying to pay tuition that's due on the first day of class and all of that jazz. Schedules were a nuisance to deal with in University. My mom helped me deal with a lot of that. I know it was just as frustrating for her!

    Sometimes I took her assistance for granted. You illustrate well that the parents go through a lot of stuff too! Well, the ones who care anyway. Your kids are lucky to have you!

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