Welcome to the latest installment in VolunteerSpot's blog series "Views on Back-to-School"! Today, Adam Cohen, founder of DaDa Rocks, shares his thoughts on the mixed emotions of sending your child off to school. Thanks Adam!
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Back to the School Year Mayhem
By Adam Cohen
I remember the time when I was a kid, laying in bed the days before school was to start, thinking of all the things that a new grade, or a new school had to offer. I especially remember the night before the drive to college with my father. I also remember my mom and dad the days before school started, they had clearly been worn out by us (my sister and myself) being home and fighting each other after camp.
Thankfully or not, my son isn't really ready for school yet… although I plan to educate him in the ways of not pooping his pants this year (yah that’ll be fun!). I know that some parents are happy to send their kids off on the bus – some parents aren't happy and try to get on the bus as well (just for the record, you embarrass your kid and yourself when you do this).
I’d also be remiss in my responsibilities not to point out funny items I’ve seen being forwarded around some email boxes…
10 Misconceptions of Moms and Back-to-SchoolMisconception #1: Moms miss their kids when they go back to school
Seriously. I’ve had enough of you by now. Every morning with the “what are we going to do today, Mom?” is finally over. I’ve looked at your face twenty-four seven for the last 77 days. It’s time to go learn something. No more asking me about the pool, when the next snack is or if you can stay up late and watch a movie. It’s over. You’re going back to Hogwarts and I get to have a life again. There is a Christmas morning for parents and it’s called “back to school”.Misconception #2: Moms like to go school shopping.
Are you freaking kidding me? Why do I pay taxes? So I can rack up a $200 bill at Staples for crap that we have laying around my house in junk drawers. Why does it have to be new pencils? What’s wrong with the chewed up, broken Strawberry Shortcake pencils sitting in the bottom of the toy box for the last 6 months? And how many subject books can you possibly need? What happened to reading, writing and arithmetic. If they added a couple of things for parents to that list I wouldn’t mind so much. Why not pencils, erasers and vodka …or some Nyquil.
Misconception #3: Moms like back to school night.
Why must we do this every year? I got it already. You’re the teacher. I’m the parent. My kid is either going to be smart or dumb. If he gets a certain number or colored dot on his discipline chart, he can get a prize from the prize box. Pretty simple stuff. Listen, I’m pretty old school. If he doesn’t listen to you, you can throw something at him. I don’t care. But I got a lot of work to do at home and I’m paying a babysitter right now. Plus, I’m pretty sure you are going to assign some project on wigwams made by some Indian tribe I’ve never heard of, so I need to get home and start my research. So, I got it. We’re all here for the betterment of the kids. Blah Blah Blah. Can I leave now?
Misconception #4: Moms like school paperwork.
How many trees are you planning on killing to tell me the same stuff I had to pay a babysitter to listen to the other night? You know our name, where we live and our emergency phone numbers. He doesn’t have a nickname. Call him “stinkbutt” for all I care. We don’t have any “special circumstances” that you need to know about. He lives in a home with two parents who may or may not like each other at any given time and they will fight. If that qualifies as a reason he can’t get his homework done on time then he won’t be able to function as an adult and have a real job so you may want to “educate” him on that life lesson.
Misconception #5: Moms like covering books in that annoying sticky paper.
What exactly will you be doing with these books that I have to cover them in a plastic laminate? Do you often teach in the rain? Or while the children are drinking soda and eating soup? Do you know how long that takes? Has any parent in the history of education been able to do it without any air bubbles in it? From now on I’m covering it the old way. Brown paper bags. That way I can cover the books and pack their lunches at that same time. Who says moms can’t multitask?
P.S. Please tell my son if he can’t find his lunch to look in his science book.
Misconception #6: Moms like helping you with your homework.
What? I am scared out of my mind. I’m pretty sure that I forgot everything I learned in fifth grade by the time I was in sixth grade. I have no idea what you are talking about most days. I don’t really know my 12 times tables, I read the cliff notes to all your summer reading and I don’t know how to conjugate anything but I do know that song “conjuction junction what’s your function” if that helps at all. And please don’t even say the words “new math” to me. What the heck was wrong the old one?
Misconception #7: Moms can’t wait to pack your lunch every day until we die.
I hate doing laundry. Making dinner every night is the bane of my existence, so making your lunch every day for an entire year, in terms of “mom fun”, lies somewhere between brushing plaque off the dog's teeth and scheduling my annual pap smear. Listen, as a child I hated what my mom packed me for lunch. But, like every kid before me, and every generation to come, you will find a kid to trade with. I’m sure someone likes sardines.
Misconception #8: Moms love after-school activities.
I don’t know who made up this idea of organized clubs and sports but they should be the ones in charge of carting your ass around. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not against all after-school programs. I just wish they would offer it during hours that would work best for me so that dinner wasn’t at 8:30 at night followed by 4 hours of homework. Why not do it on the weekends and call it “after-hours activities” so mommy and daddy could actually go out one night and pretend that we have a life of our own. Don’t worry about us though, I’m sure that me and “what’s his name” will be married a very long time.
Misconception #9: Moms don’t mind taking you to school if you miss the bus.
Your bus comes at 7:10 am. Which means that you should be standing by the door at 7:05 am. Not eating breakfast, chasing the dog around the house, or in the bathroom, asking me to check your homework while I’m taking a shower. Get it together! I don’t like running down the street in my jammies at 7:12 screaming “Please wait” or “If you stop I’ll show you my boobies.”
Misconception #10: Moms cry on your first day of school.
We do cry but they are tears of joy. I have done my job. I have successfully kept a human child alive for at least 5 years without doing any major damage. Motherhood is the hardest job in the world!! Sure, doctors save lives and CEO’s run million dollar businesses, but you teach a kid not to poop their pants and then you can say you’ve made the world a better place.
I laughed at that a lot and I think you can almost interchange mom for dad on most… I know I’m looking forward to the days of my son coming home telling me that amazing new fact he learned in school and helping with homework (in some cases doing it for him – like my dad did for me).
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Adam Cohen, founder of dadarocks.com,
is a NYC based daddy blogger. While enjoying the company of his wife
and toddler son, he manages to be the Director of Web Services at New
York Law School and a social media entrepreneur. Adam has extensive
technology and communications experience with non-profit organizations,
as well as a New Media Design and Imaging degree from Rochester
Institute of Technology. His ability to leverage the Internet to create
synergies among his blog visitors comes from his passion for
fatherhood, social media and sharing. Blog:dadarocks.com Twitter:@dadarocks
