I don’t know if I want to rejoice or cry because the kids are going back to school. There are good and bad things about it, and I’m happy one minute and in tears the next… and they don’t even go back until Thursday!

Good

• Peace and quiet – I ask them at least a dozen times a day to just be quiet for a few minutes.
• Meals – I’ll only have to fix a small breakfast and lunch because 4 of the kids will be eating at school! My food bill will also decrease… woo!
• Grocery shopping – I can go grocery shopping without 5 sets of hands grabbing things off the shelves and putting them in the cart. I can pay at the register without saying “Cassie please climb down from there.” and “No Lucas I’m not buying more chips.”
• Freedom – I can go to Grandma’s or to play with Sheeba or anywhere else I please without it being an hour getting ready to leave for a half hour trip.

Bad

• Peace and quiet – They went to bed at 8:30 last night and I didn’t know what to do with myself. I’ve forgotten what it’s like not to be playing referee or chef, or nurse, or maid, or jungle gym, or whatever else I do all day long.
• Logan – He’s gotten really used to having the other kids here all the time! I’m fairly certain he’ll be fine because he’s independent and likes to play by himself, but what if I’m wrong? What if he turns into a complete terror because he’ll have mommy all to himself? The words spoiled brat comes to mind.
• Bed times – No more staying up late hanging out at the computer singing karaoke half the night or waiting until 8:00 to eat supper!
• Morning routines – Everyone has to get up early, I have to make sure they have their backpacks, lunch money, homework signed, appropriate clothes, and everything else. There are always battles that come with this! Especially Shelby, who let me remind you is 13 and knows everything. Often morning conversations with her go something like “That is a sleep shirt, you’re not wearing something that shows that much cleavage to school.” Her… “But mom, EVERYONE else wears shirts like this.” Me, God help me I’ve turned into my own mother… “I’m not everyone else’s mom! If everyone else flushed their head in the toilet would you?” To which she then storms off to change and mumbles under her breath until the bus comes.
• Lucas – My 4th baby is going off to kindergarten!!!

That’s just a bit of the list, I could go on and on… and on and on… lol. I just don’t know how I feel!!!

Then of course there is the whole Wyatt issue. Last year, the last quarter of the school year was hell! He was suspended from school more than once for fighting and he was having melt downs over every little thing. He’s been seeing a child psychologist all summer and is on a low dose of Abilify, and doing pretty well, but the closer it gets to school time the more aggressive and moody he’s getting. I’m very afraid that going back to school is going to bring up the issues he was having last year and it’s going to be a nightmare again.

Tomorrow is “Meet the Teacher Night”… can’t we just stay home and pretend we have another month? I’m sure in a couple of weeks I’ll come back and read this and laugh at how silly I was being, but for now I’ll just sit here and ride the emotional rollercoaster.