cagirlintexas Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Everyone we know is starting Kindergarten tommorow. I see there posts all over facebook. I am happy with our decision to homeschool and we have actually been back to school for a few weeks now and this is actually our second year of school. Just see how excited everyone is about school starting and kinda of sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsabelC Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 :grouphug: Maybe you can start your own special Not Back To School family traditions, then post on Facebook complete with cute pics of your son eating cake in his pyjamas or whatever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Every time I see their posts on Facebook, I think "I'M glad your kid is going back to school, too! That means I can take my kids on all sorts of fun field trips without all the summer crowds!" :D Look on the bright side! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Every time I see their posts on Facebook, I think "I'M glad your kid is going back to school, too! That means I can take my kids on all sorts of fun field trips without all the summer crowds!" :D Look on the bright side! :iagree::iagree::iagree: Our neighborhood is so quiet today!!!! Huzzah! On the first day back to school for us we take a photo, have a special breakfast and fill out an "all about me" page (with the photo on it) that includes age, height, weight, favorite book, movie, TV show, game, book and subject in school and what he wants to be when he grows up. It's nice to go back and look at his previous pages and see how he and his tastes have changed. On the first day back to school for the ps kids, we go out to lunch and have ice cream to celebrate NOT going back to school. It's fun and Indy looks forward to it every year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punchie Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 :iagree::iagree::iagree: Our neighborhood is so quiet today!!!! Huzzah! On the first day back to school for us we take a photo, have a special breakfast and fill out an "all about me" page (with the photo on it) that includes age, height, weight, favorite book, movie, TV show, game, book and subject in school and what he wants to be when he grows up. It's nice to go back and look at his previous pages and see how he and his tastes have changed. On the first day back to school for the ps kids, we go out to lunch and have ice cream to celebrate NOT going back to school. It's fun and Indy looks forward to it every year. I really like this idea! I might have to appropriate it... Part of me feels a little tinge over the FB back to school posts, but then I tell myself that I would have to wake up at an ungodly hour of the morning in order to hound DD into getting up, dressed, and breakfasted in a timely fashion while dealing with two screechy littles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenR Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I thought I would feel a twinge when everyone's kids went off to school- but seeing one small girl crying hysterically as her mom was trying to put her on the school bus at the corner cancelled that out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 The first day of public school was always beach day for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFM Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Every time I see their posts on Facebook, I think "I'M glad your kid is going back to school, too! That means I can take my kids on all sorts of fun field trips without all the summer crowds!" :D Look on the bright side! PRECISELY!!!! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paisley Hedgehog Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I really like this idea! I might have to appropriate it... Part of me feels a little tinge over the FB back to school posts, but then I tell myself that I would have to wake up at an ungodly hour of the morning in order to hound DD into getting up, dressed, and breakfasted in a timely fashion while dealing with two screechy littles. When Indy took the dogs out at 7:45am this morning all the kids were loading the school buses. He told me about it and then laughed because he had just rolled out of bed about 10 minutes before taking the dogs out. We just got home from the Doner Kebab restaurant and ice cream shop and I feel like a stuffed pig! The first day of ps is always pig out day and I am feeling it today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 It makes me sad to think of those kids being away from their siblings and parents all day. :( I don't feel "left out" at all. Homeschooling feels so much more natural to me. It probably did bother me when we were just starting out though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmarango Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Every time I see their posts on Facebook, I think "I'M glad your kid is going back to school, too! That means I can take my kids on all sorts of fun field trips without all the summer crowds!" :D Look on the bright side! This year I had the brilliant idea that we should take field trips during back to school week because there is no way that any children would be out and about. We had a great time (blogged about it here) and the staff at the aquariums and museums had so much time on their hands that they are thrilled to see any children before the public school field trips begin (usually in October). Also, we are getting some bands from the Tropical Storm today and my dd was thinking about all the school children waiting for the bus in the horrible weather. I then think about how I would be driving my children to school most likely, if they went to school, and that I do not function very well before 7:30-8:00 in the morning. And then I would be picking them up at the end of the school day and our life would revolve around the school schedule. Remember that the thrill of back to school time is quite short lived. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Every time I see their posts on Facebook, I think "I'M glad your kid is going back to school, too! That means I can take my kids on all sorts of fun field trips without all the summer crowds!" :D Look on the bright side! :iagree: This is exactly what I think! However, sometimes it does make me feel a little down but I'm not sure why. So, we've been working on our own traditions-back to school jammies and tie dye school tshirts. I'm sure we'll do lots more as my kids get older. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Every time I see their posts on Facebook, I think "I'M glad your kid is going back to school, too! That means I can take my kids on all sorts of fun field trips without all the summer crowds!" :D Look on the bright side! :iagree::iagree::iagree: I did feel a tiny twinge this year, seeing the back to school posts. My DS2 would have been starting K at school this year, and it doesn't help that the other day he was talking about how he didn't get to go to K at DS's old private school. He doesn't fully understand our reasons for homeschooling, and he doesn't really know what it would be like to go to school. I just don't think school would be a good fit for him, when he's regularly saying things like, "I wonder if there is a not-real guy reading us?" (ie, reading a book about us). That's the type of thing he is thinking about all the time. He doesn't always understand some basic things - real vs. not-real still trips him up a bit - so he'd look foolish around other kids his age, but he also thinks about things that normal 5 year olds don't usually think about. So he's just kind of all over the map. I think school would be a disaster for him. He does fine in Bible class at church, but there it's a very small class (3-6 students), and the teacher KNOWS him and his oddities. She also knows the struggles we have in general at home. So she's able to handle things. I don't think it would work as well in a regular classroom. And as far as private school goes, I can't imagine spending $5k to send him to Kindergarten, when he's already past that in math, he needs one-on-one instruction in reading, etc. We already wasted a little over $4k on DS1's K year. And public school is not an option for us (we use them for speech therapy, but that's it). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cagirlintexas Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 Thanks! Sometimes it helps to get thing put in perspective. I think we are going to do Kindergarten pictures tommorow and something else. Love the idea of having him answer questions. I think we will do that and put it in his scrapbook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brendag Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I'm going to take a picture of my kids in their pajamas for their first day of Kindergarten photo and post that. My friends will get a kick. Even though we've been homeschooling them for about a year and it's rare that we do any activities before morning chores are done, including getting dressed, it's sure nice to know that we have the option! :001_smile: Brenda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiniBlondes Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I hear you. This is our first year homeschooling and I felt a twinge of that a few weeks ago when the kids from our old town went back to school. Then this morning when I heard the bus loading kids up at 6:45, I remembered that we didn't start until 9 and I rolled back over and went to sleep. That made me feel tons better. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto2Cs Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Every time I see their posts on Facebook, I think "I'M glad your kid is going back to school, too! That means I can take my kids on all sorts of fun field trips without all the summer crowds!" :D Look on the bright side! :lol: and :iagree: I'm going to take a picture of my kids in their pajamas for their first day of Kindergarten photo and post that. My friends will get a kick. Even though we've been homeschooling them for about a year and it's rare that we do any activities before morning chores are done, including getting dressed, it's sure nice to know that we have the option! :001_smile: I love this idea! I think the first day we school (September), I will do just that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warneral Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Fun conversation but to the OP I remember feeling that way last year (our first year HS'ing). This year I am making a concerted effort to get myself excited to start the new school year and also make it special for the kids. We will be having some refrigerated cinnamon rolls (lame I know) and taking a bike ride, etc. Do something special to remind yourselves how special this is :) It will pass and while the first day of school may be exciting for kids and moms (I remember enjoying the free time), it is also rewarding to feel that you are doing the best you can for your kids :) Savoring their youth and teaching them with a meaningful education. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooketopia Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 The FB posts kind of bummed me out a little as well. We live in a very densely-populated neighborhood, so it was like this grand FB party of kid photos. We start our new school year on the Monday after 4th of July, so "Back to School" is so over for us by now. I try to do a fun "NOT Back to School" activity the day that public school starts, just because we can and because the places are virtually empty. It sure is nice to look out at the street and NOT see the unsupervised school-aged children wandering around the neighbor and vandalizing the tree in my front yard. Peace is upon us yet again. It's like Christmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cagirlintexas Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 I hear you. This is our first year homeschooling and I felt a twinge of that a few weeks ago when the kids from our old town went back to school. Then this morning when I heard the bus loading kids up at 6:45, I remembered that we didn't start until 9 and I rolled back over and went to sleep. That made me feel tons better. :grouphug: :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoVanGogh Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 :grouphug: I'm not on FB, so don't get to see all the pictures and such. But our community talks up back-to-school so much that I feel overwhelmed by the topic. We have homeschooled six years. We love it and have no plans to do anything different. Yet yesterday I sat around the house, sad... I couldn't really explain why I was sad. I just felt so alone and different, which is funny because we know so many homeschoolers. We are always getting together for field trips, park days and play dates. Yet there is something about the back-to-school season that hits me hard. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theYoungerMrsWarde Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 We drove by two schools and the school bus parking area to get to the library today. I pointed the schools out because I don't want my kids to be ignorant of such things. Ds5.5 asked about the big field and what they did on it. Then he told me he was glad that he does school at home with me. :001_wub: I got a little sad seeing the pictures of my best friend's daughter first day of school. But when I ask her (the daughter) if she did anything fun or exciting in school that day (NOT quizzing her, I swear) she rarely has anything to share that's she excited about. OP, remember why you're doing this. Remember that you don't have to get up early, get all your kids ready, and drive your kid to the bus stop an hour before school starts for a school that is five miles away. And take LOTS of pictures of all the fun stuff you're doing. Other parents only get that picture for the first day of school. You get to take pictures of all the projects and special times all the other days of school, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotoGal Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Last year was our first year homeschooling and I think the toughest times were back-to-school season and Valentine's Day. I wasn't really sad when other kids went back to school - I just felt strange. I think it just reminded me that what we are doing is unusual. On Valentine's, the kids missed having a school party (our park day did have a valentine exchange, but didn't allow candy). We also didn't know them that well at the time. I think it will be more fun this year when we know most of the kids. Anyway, I think it takes a little while to get used to the kids in the neighborhood being at school. I know by the time summer comes around, I will miss going on field trips, the library, sports places etc without the crowds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheApprentice Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 We went to UNO's for our not back to school lunch. They were looking forward to it all morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cagirlintexas Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 You get to take pictures of all the projects and special times all the other days of school, too. ain't that the truth!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kesmom Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 We will be having some refrigerated cinnamon rolls That has been our first day of school breakfast as well! It's just "special" enough without requiring me to get up earlier. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christielee7278 Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 We try to really celebrate the first day of public school too. We have a Not-Back-to-School breakfast at a restaraunt AFTER we sleep in. I usually let them sleep in as long as they want and then we'll eat about mid-morning. This year I have a public schooler too so we all got up at 6am to get ready to take him to school. This taught my little a lesson....they NEVER want to go to public school because they don't want to get up so early! :lol: We had our mid-morning breakfast as usual and then went to a pool party with our homeschool group. When we got home, I gave them their *special* school supplies that the public schools won't let their students have....folders, notebooks, pencils, and pens with cartoon characters...and some other fun school things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Everyone we know is starting Kindergarten tommorow. I see there posts all over facebook. I am happy with our decision to homeschool and we have actually been back to school for a few weeks now and this is actually our second year of school. Just see how excited everyone is about school starting and kinda of sad. SHHHH....didn't anyone tell you? 1st day of school is field trip day. Or park day. Or library day. Or go-out-for-a-special-treat day (or make one yourself & stay home in your pajamas all day--don't forget to point out the school bus in the morning when you are still eating breakfast, and in the afternoon after your kids have been playing for a few hours). In time you can develop your own fun first-day traditions (first day of YOUR school but also first day of public school!). Get together with friends that day & have fun! Merry :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenL Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 I felt this way for the first 3 years of homeschooling. We're going into year 5 this year, and the ps kids went back to school today. I am elated that my kids are not standing at a bus stop at 6:30 in the morning! Now we can go places without crowds! There are so many pluses, but I did have to grieve the "loss" of me time that all the other moms were posting about on Facebook. Once I got over that, all has been well. Give yourself time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbbieJack Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Fun conversation but to the OP I remember feeling that way last year (our first year HS'ing). This year I am making a concerted effort to get myself excited to start the new school year and also make it special for the kids. We will be having some refrigerated cinnamon rolls (lame I know) and taking a bike ride, etc. Do something special to remind yourselves how special this is :) It will pass and while the first day of school may be exciting for kids and moms (I remember enjoying the free time), it is also rewarding to feel that you are doing the best you can for your kids :) Savoring their youth and teaching them with a meaningful education. Today was our first day of school and my kids had donuts LOL. They love them and I never buy them ,so they wear a hit! We took "First day of school" pictures , opened the boxes of curriculum and other school items,& did a little "All about me" lapbook. The kids spent over and hour and a half just flipping through the new books . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 I'm particularly excited when school starts in the city. It reminds me of the fact my kids aren't going. :D Hehe, me too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redgal Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 I thought I would feel a twinge when everyone's kids went off to school- but seeing one small girl crying hysterically as her mom was trying to put her on the school bus at the corner cancelled that out. :( That is heartbreaking.... I know exactly what the OP means. Today was our first day of homeschooling and last night I felt so sad and the schools in our area haven't even gone back yet. When they do, I am going to avoid FB for 3 months - maybe even going out because ppl sure have strong opinions on homeschooling! But I am really sure we have made the right choice for our kids/family so I have to remind myself of that... often. Maybe there will come a day when DD asks to go to PS until then I get to watch her learn and grow, read for he first time, share the moment when she really gets something. Today we snuggled on the couch and read until I was hoarse.....I'm so grateful for moments like that.:001_wub: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incognito Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 I've only got one year under my belt, but the let down/pain goes away pretty quickly. It does feel weird to start down that different path. I took 1st day of school pics of my DD on the step with school supplies, like my mom used to do for us. We stumbled our way into our school materials. It works and you'll find a nice rhythm and enjoy it. Then you'll feel a twinge of sadness for the other kids next year when you know their summer is ending and yours isn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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