It’s done, folks. Summer holidays are over, and children everywhere are starting to sweat. You can almost smell the fear in the air as they start to realize that there is no more time. A quickening of the pulse because they can’t sleep in as late as they want, no more sleepovers in the middle of the week, forget watching movies to all hours of the night. Oh yes, it’s over. Parents everywhere are waking up like they had been possessed, straightening from the hunched over posture of a zombie they have assumed over the last two months. It was a bad dream, but now it’s over and the sun is shining. Parents can pat their frizzled hair down, frowning foreheads smooth and become almost relaxed, almost cheery actually, because now it’s time to do what every parent secretly loves doing. It’s time to get school supplies.

Oh yeah, it’s a puzzling, mixed-up emotion for kids when they get school supplies. On one hand, it’s shopping that they directly profit from, which is a good thing. But on the other hand, those very school supplies represent the very thing that is taking away their precious, youth-sweet freedom. Yes those supplies look clean and smell fresh now, but in 5 months time that crisp white rectangular eraser will have been worn down to a round brown bullet of despair and error. The corner of everything will be sporting backpack dog-ears, and pencil cases will be shipping a sediment of shavings at the bottom no matter how careful they are.

What parent wouldn’t sniff mightily of that intoxicating aroma and feel refreshed?

This year all of our children will be going to a school of sorts. Cael will be in pre-school for the first time, just as Quinn starts junior Kindergarten. Jordy is starting grade 6, which means that this is her last year before high school in the Catholic Board, and that’s a scary thought. All of this means that Nikki will have a meager 2 hours, twice a week, that she does not have to care for a single child. That’s the first time that’s happened in four years, and I think she’s scared of getting too excited about it in case somebody comes along and tells her it’s not really happening. Momentous changes at our house, I’m sure I will have more to report in a few weeks’ time.