Back-to-school season close

After a short six-year hiatus, this fall will mark the return of the exciting, albeit somewhat dreaded, back-to-school campaign in our household.

In the spring of 2006, I graduated from college, and since then, when August and September rolled around and commercials and flyers were blasting back-to-school sales, I simply smiled and continued on my merry way. But this year, I sense a new feeling of anticipation when thinking about the upcoming school year.

In April, my oldest son turned five, meaning he will start kindergarten this fall. And honestly I’m not sure how we are going to handle waking up early every morning, packing a lunch, and catching a school bus all before 8 a.m.

For the past five years, Gavin has had a pretty relaxed life, waking up at 9 a.m., and then filling his morning with snacks and cartoons. He has never been the type of kid to jump out of bed, ready to take on the world and I foresee many fights in my future. Thankfully, once fully awake and aware, he can be quite cooperative and willing.

Packing a school lunch for Gavin is something my husband and I discussed just the other day. Our son has to be one of the pickiest eaters in the world and packing that kid a sandwich is certainly out of the question. I envision many of his lunches will include rice cakes, raw vegetables, crackers, juice boxes, yogurt, and anything else raw, plain and uncooked.

I am looking forward to taking Gavin back-to-school shopping for some new clothes, fun school supplies, and maybe a few new things for mommy too. And mostly, I’m looking forward to Gavin coming home to tell me about his first day of school.

I’m certainly looking forward to the many projects he will bring home and finding out what types of things he gets excited to learn about. I’m anticipating the new friends he will make and all the new experiences in which he will take part.

While growing up, I remember being quite excited for back-to-school time. I completely enjoyed getting my backpack ready, filled with new school supplies, and convincing my mom that I needed new clothes for school.

Even in college, I found excitement in spending hundreds of dollars at the bookstore, getting the necessary texts and materials for the coming semester. Since Gavin and I share the same lack of enthusiasm for waking up early, I’m hoping he will share in my enthusiasm for the new school year.

For the next few weeks, I hope to enjoy the last bit of summer holidays with Gavin before disrupting his little life, and my own, with routine, packed lunches and early mornings.