I’m Not Ready… by Cara Potapshyn Meyers

…for the unofficial end to summer. Heck, it’s still eighty-something degrees out and my vegetable plants are just beginning to sprout!

School started here yesterday. Yet, as organized as I am when it comes to my son, we were all scrambling to make sure we had all of the school supplies, lunch fixings, and school clothes prepared. This is so unlike me. I can’t stop but wonder why I’ve been dragging my feet when it came to my son being top notch, ready to fly, on his first morning of school. I even forgot to refill his medications he needs to have in school! The nurse complained, but sending them in a day late is not the end of the world. Still, I can’t shake off this end of summer craving.

Deep inside, I don’t want the carefree days of summer to end. I dread the never ending cycle of homework hell to come. I’m not ready to be on a “schedule.” Neither is my son. Besides the fact that I am still doing laundry from last minute summer excursions taken last week. Can’t I at least have a few days to catch up with laundry before I fill up the new backpack?

I even missed purchasing a couple minor items from my son’s school supply list. Tisk, tisk. I’ll get to it when I get to it. I am still in that lazy day mode. Besides, my son only has two days of school this week anyway (why even bother?).

Maybe I’m jaded. Since age two, I’ve been ultra prepared for my son’s first day back to school. Especially when he entered Kindergarten! I had a specially designed shirt made  for him. Monogrammed matching backpack and lunch bag. I think we even recorded snippets of my son’s first day of Elementary School! Oh, the excitement! The joy! The milestone!

Five years later, we took the annual first day of school photos (see above…not the happiest camper). Stuffed the backpack of my son’s choice with all of his supplies (minus the minor ones), sent my son on his way with a special “back-to-school” card…only to find after he got to school that his lunch bag was still in the refrigerator.

I think back-to-school Karma is definitely siding with me…

Tags: back to school, Cara Potapshyn Meyers, fifth grade, kindergarten, school, school supplies, son, summer