Being a parent of a schoolchild is a job in itself because we have started the children on their path to the lives they will lead. If that means sacrificing Saturdays to attend events, staying up late to help them with homework and projects, going through shops to find an item for their performance, we are obliged to do so. Mind you, I did not say we are happy to do it; we do it because we have to and it is for the benefit of our children.
However, why am I running around helter skelter, buying items, making gifts, attending PTAs and private meetings, when my child is only in his second month of kindergarten? Just this week, I found myself running to print photos, buy a bunch of new items for school and making lunches that go uneaten, even though the school is obliged to provide food and receive a note at every drop-off or pick-up!
In fact, ever since my child started nursery, I have been the busiest of parents. This has been the busiest time in the two years I have lived here. I put my child in kindergarten at three even though mandated school begins at six years of age. Kindergarten is merely a place for the children to socialise and play away from their parents.
Putting him in school instead of part-time daycare was a strategic decision we took because we have zero help. The time our child would be away in school was time his dad focused on his work and I focused on the million things that wait for me on a daily basis. This time was also meant to afford me the opportunity to consider my next step, careerwise, after being a stay-at-home mum for three years.
Instead of time, I find myself with more chores and errands than before! My child is three! He does not need a formal sit-down meeting after two months to discuss his time at school. He is there to play!
Why do I need to buy a Christmas sock and the gift that goes inside? Why do I need to provide things that make the teachers' lives easier? For instance, my son has been wearing pull-ups since he was one, but because tag diapers make life easier for the teachers, then I have to run out in the night to buy them.
I understand that school is not a place where we dump our kids without looking back. I am a proactive parent, but not when the school has not allowed my child to settle in, and they already begin to nag about every single thing.
I don't want to do crafts, I don't want to buy gifts, I don't want last-minute school cancellations, I don’t want complaints about regular toddler behaviours like eating, and I don't need to attend a meeting every month! It’s kindergarten, for crying out loud; even candidates don’t have that much heat on them!
