It’s time to send the kids back to school this week.

While my younger children seem to be pretty excited about going back to school, my teens are not happy. I’m guessing it’s because the days of sleeping in until 11:30am on a Tuesday and playing 12 straight hours of Fortnight are pretty much over. Gone are the days of alarm clock free weekdays and Lucky Charms for lunch. Stuff gets real at about 6am on Wednesday for my teenagers.

On the other hand, my sweet little girls can’t wait to get to class to meet the new teacher, and make new friends while running around at recess. They are counting the hours until they get to go back to school. Funny how that works out, right?

As for me, my day is usually spent waking up and heading off to the office long before they leave for school. I do get a precious few hours with those kids between the time they get home and they time I am forced to go to bed. If it were not for Fall Sports, and the fact they rely on me for allowance and gas money, I might not see those teens too much. I lost my “coolness” to them about the time 12 years old came around, so again, me and the little ones will get more time together.

I’m going to try to enjoy the quiet afternoons at home while they are away, with that little voice in the back of my mind reminding me…they don’t stay your little boys and girls forever. Try to enjoy it while it lasts.