Dreading the end of Summer? Here’s why you should look forward to the school run

I’ve been enjoying hearing my Mum friends dread the end of the summer when the children go back to school. We’ve all enjoyed the holidays and missing your children when they go back is understandable.

Me, on the other hand, I can’t wait. Not because we haven’t enjoyed the summer, or because we haven’t loved getting up late and planning our days with the ease and casualness of vacationers. But for a number of other reasons, I am happy to see the summer come to an end.

Here’s why:

1. Free time. Well, here’s a no brainer, you get your free time back. Again, I must reiterate, I love having my kids around but to be switched on all day everyday is exhausting. I’m looking forward to having at least 2.5 days where I can catch up on tasks I’ve been putting off and go shopping without 3 kids whining that they ‘want a treat’.
2. Back to routine. Let’s face it. Kids thrive in routine. It’s nice for us to have breaks from it but, as a Mum who borders on Type A personality, I also thrive in routine. Knowing they’ll be in bed from  7pm onwards and that they’ll wake up refreshed is comforting in many ways. I’ve witnessed far too many a yawn from kids this holiday to know that my kids are not getting enough sleep.
3. They’ve gotten lazy. That brings me to the third point. Out of routine with loads of free time. Mine at least, are getting harder and harder to cajole into doing their chores or even (gasp) doing ten minutes of learning a day.
4. They might actually learn something. I’m no teacher (as the above attempts at getting them to do homework have demonstrated). Although I’d love to homeschool, teaching my kids is not my forte. So I’m happy to hand the children over to qualified teachers for 6 hours a day so they can learn something about adding and subtracting numbers.
5. It’s expensive! Our summer has been jam packed with activities and on top of holidays, transport costs, food and entry fees, it’s not been cheap. I’m looking forward to getting back to budget and reigning ourselves in a bit more before the next holiday begins.
6. The house is a tip. My girls have loved having so much free time and many lazy mornings have been spent playing with play-doh, crafts, sand and baking. I’m so sure much of it is stuck in the corners and under furniture.  But without the time or energy to do a proper clean, it’s stayed there for much longer than I’d have liked.
7. Seeing friends again. And this goes for both parents and kids alike. My daughters are keen to see their friends at school and I’ll admit, I’ve built up a nice community of Mums and parents at school as well. It’s been nice to see those I don’t see normally at school but I’m looking forward to catching up with those I’ve missed.
8. Too much of a good thing. Like all good things, the holidays must come to an end. We’re already looking forward to half term because their Grandma is visiting from Canada. Only six weeks to go!

Perhaps I should return to this post two weeks in when the school run has gotten tiresome once again, birthday party mania sets in and I’m once again missing my kids. For now, though, I can’t wait for school to start!