Sad we all have to go back to real life

I've worked through as normal, so I don't really feel the loss, as I don't have young children anymore, but I remember those days! It's like we're suddenly plunged into autumn, even if the weather is still OK.

The only thing I would say is, I'm really surprised that (some) schools have a staggered return after summer. What's that about? My sister (London) says her kids (13 and 15) go back for a few hours on the first day back, and then this gradually increases over the week. We went back on the first day after summer, and had to just get on with it! No one gave a crap if we were upset about it!

Totally agree OP life shouldn’t be like this, we’ve got it all wrong 😒 I think you’ve just got to find the nice bits in the everyday and appreciate those even lovelier bits when you can ☺️

DD1 likes to hit me with the ‘Can I have a packed lunch?’ at 8:30am. ‘But you pinky promised I could last week!’

I am also gutted the holidays are over. Gives me the ‘there has to be more to life than this’ feeling but unless I win the lottery I need to work. Maybe I should actually buy a ticket for tonight….

Lots of sympathy ... I had one like that and mine are twins. Very stressful.

On the plus side, once she left school she thrived and now has a great job, despite missing a lot of school.

I've worked through the whole summer holidays, as has my husband, save for the 1 week we went away (in the UK). My teens have worked too. I am still feeling the September blues. Needing to have uniforms washed and ready (although only 1 left in school now) rather than being able to take it a bit easier on the laundry. All the hobbies and sports starting back in earnest - sure we've had pre season training, a couple of friendlies and a scout camp over the summer, but it's nothing compared to the regular nightly hobbies and sports, the taxiing around, the remembering of kits and instruments and so on. As a school governor, there's that back in the mix now (although yes I still had some emails and arranging meetings etc in summer hols), as well as other voluntary responsibilities picking back up. Work also picks up a pace as people who took more leave over the summer return and reply, more meetings, events, conferences etc and yes - it's all life and we can't live in the summer the whole time but even as someone who had a very work heavy summer and didn't go away, it was still delicious to go on long dog walks in the evening without having to worry about the weather or dropping kids to sports pitches, or spending evenings after tea reading rather than attending meetings. Bring back the summer!

Like now for instance we are going into big town to get whatever they need - not much bags, shoes - easy

thought I would get them up earlier to readjust bedtimes

1 hr 2 minutes so far of “I know”

I work in a school and I love the summer holidays but I like getting back to work as well. Like someone up the thread said, it feels more like a new year than January does for me.

The reality
“come on you are going to be late”
”I know”
”no point knowing move now”
”give me a second”
”there are no more seconds move here eat this breakfast bar on way”

”I need a new ruler”
”and you mention it now”

Every September I have visions of Disney mornings

I will get up early the teens will wake when called

A slower breakfast with perfect boiled eggs and conversation on the Today radio topic
and a nice ease into the day
feeling good
no one rushing

that has actually happened in 13 years of schooling (and counting) exactly - nonce!

it’s the hope that kills ya!

Enjoy- sounds like you've earned it! 😊☕🍪

😆 I think a lot of people realised this when they were forced to reflect during covid. But then most went back to life as it was before. People don’t really like change or don’t feel able to make it.

I love the summer holidays. WFH with flexi hours. I love lazy, slow mornings and hate the school runs!

If only …
solidarities!

YANBU on two fronts.

One, the exhausting school run / school routine. Day in, day out. I’m out of that now, but I was thinking about it just yesterday. It’s like living your life in chunks of term time. Two, the general rush of life. As the government, schools, and businesses shift responsibility for everything from them onto individual households, there is a never ending list of ‘things’ that needs to be done. Again, every single day.

Summer feels like the only 5/6 weeks out of the year where life slows down. By the end of the week, the rush hour traffic will be back to its usual peak.
We’re not meant to live like this.

Your question reminds me of the joke / parable of the fisherman and the businessman.

www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/6ft98c/conversation_between_a_fisherman_and_an_mba/

I agree. I wish it started later. Also wish we lived in on of the areas where they finish early on a Friday. A little school is good for them and space from each other too but five days plus starting early feels too much.

Could you make normal life not so rushed and stressy? It really doesn’t have to be that way.

Dh and I are both mostly around before and after school, though sometimes one or both of us does have to do some work. We’re always both home for a family dinner every night. We spend time together every day, even if some of that involves a lot of taxiing. We’ve built careers with a high level of flexibility that means we can always prioritise family.

It might not happen overnight, but what can you change to make normal life more something you don’t want to escape from in the holidays?

I don't have a partner/husband and my DD finished uni and started working about a month later, and I have worked all summer, those with young kids have had time between them, the only difference for me was the struggling to sleep between nights because of the hot weather and people out enjoying themselves, making noise that isn't usually there, and the usually quiet days during the week where I shop or wander not being quiet! (I'm not resentful before anyone jumps on me, it's just life, I don't expect people to change because I work nights) I have a week off at the end of September though, which I'll thoroughly enjoy.

It's nice to hear people have enjoyed time with their families over the lovely summer as a break from the grind, we all seem to have to give everything to keep a roof over our heads and miss so much, I missed a lot of my DD growing up and I regret that I had no choice really, it's lovely that people are taking the time to enjoy it.

Well there is nothing you can do about the end of the school/work holidays so just try to live in the moment. I always do a little something every day that brings me joy and I don't look too much into the future

I think that rather depends on what the “purpose” is.

I felt like this when DD1 went back (Scotland) and still do a bit. I think it’s the morning rush that is the worst bit honestly. If school started at 10am that would probably suit us nicely as we can have the mornings we like and leave the house unhurried. DD1 had a couple of delayed starts due to weather last year and it felt so nice going in at 10, we were all much less stressed!

She doesn’t go to school on Fridays so we do have nice time together during the week, but the mornings, oh the mornings..

I feel exactly the same! This summer has just been so chilled and relaxed and I am not looking forward to going back to the rush of school mornings and all the stresses that come with going back to work and school etc

Same here. X1 final GCSE year. X1 final A-Level year. Neither will want our help academically though but I’m sure going to have to be the punching bag through the stressful times. My job is to toughen up.

If only we could just fast forward to next summer.

It’s only great because it’s temporary. If you lived like that permanently you’d get on each others’ nerves, take each other for granted, and start to get depressed because you had no real purpose