Not to have a back to school ritual?

[Finemjen]

Does anyone else not do anything special to mark the first day back to school? Or do you have an end of summer/back to school ritual? Recently learned some give their kids a special breakfast, balloon arch, gift etc. I like to take a photo before kids head off on first day but should I be making it more of an event so they don’t feel left out?

It’s fine to do them but gifting the night before such a huge day of presents and treats is ostentatious and consumerism at its worst.

I get the whole - new pjs and a take away but why a further round of gifts.

What are we teaching our children

Never did any such thing, not even on first day of school at 5. We all just went back to school - both parents teachers, a bit sad, really. If you make every small change a rite of passage then the real rites of passage get minimalized, which is sad.
Just pack a nice packed lunch - if you are into them. Mine had this choice: school dinners or you pack your own lunches. They chose school dinners.

Umm.. back to school photo and then remember I have two September birthdays to organise??

The balloon arch thing needs to fuck off ... what the actual???

One child is off to college so trying to organise transport etc and the other hates school so trying to keep it low key .. not even getting new shoes, that can wait till a few weeks in.

We had no back to school ritual, no easter baskets or christmas eve boxes, or valentine gifts etc. 3 well adjusted adults (almost, youngest 18 in March)

They what?!

New pyjamas and fluffy socks, a bath bomb, a small teddy, a new mug with a hot chocolate sachet and a book usually. Sometimes a small game or activity.

I get the whole Christmas pjs thing, I do the same but how many new mugs does a child need. If I did that I’d have 16 additional mugs to store over the years. I’m happy make hot chocolate - do they need an individual sachet though, mine don’t need any more cuddly toys - it’s all a consumerist nonsense and an ecological disaster.

It is so self absorbed it makes me feel a bit ill ... that made me smile!!

Yes, we have a ritual of a heated row that I told them to try on shoes/rugby boots clothes, check if there’s a new mouthguard, is their lap top charged up etc…and somehow its my fault that they haven’t done it. Teenagers not toddlers.
They’d think I’d lost my mind if there was a ballon arch!

Kids are discombobulated enough as it is at the start of term- they don't need it turned into a song and dance just for the parent's SM.

The best prep I think parents can do is to start clawing back bedtimes and morning wake-ups this week rather than just shoving them into bed 2hrs earlier than normal the night before school starts (which just gives them 2 hrs lying awake and worrying about the next day).

Absolutely this! I don't even buy new bags unless they have holes in. Fortunately my kids aren't bothered (I had to wrangle my eldest's pencil case off him and check he had functional pens for his GCSEs). I can't say I never fall for consumerist crap, but I'd rather try and give my kids a decent future than bloody balloon arches for going back to school.

My child started Reception last year. I took a photo, in which he posed as a frog. This year I'm hoping for at least an upright animal. I barely have enough time to find his school socks which have mysteriously disappeared over the last few weeks never mind invent a ritual or build a balloon arch. I don't use Instagram or Facebook so I had no idea this was a thing - it definitely isn't in my social circle.

YANBU. Why is there a need to fetishise every day events all the time now?

We take a photo on the front step and/or at the school gates, and like everyone else buy new school shoes and bigger uniform and get a haircut; that’s it.

It’s performative looking for online attention from influencer wannabes as well as actual influencers. No one cares.

A back to school ritual? It's getting out of bed earlier, putting on the uniforms and going out to school, as opposed to not.

Well we always lose a few mugs to breakages over the course of the year so it's a good time to get a couple more mugs. My stepdaughter usually takes hers home to her Mums anyway. When I say sachets though, I bought some cellophane cones a couple of years ago which came in a pack of 100 and since then, it's a scoop of hot chocolate, a scoop of chocolate chips and a scoop of mini marshmallows with a pipe cleaner to hold it closed, a red pom pom and a couple of googly eyes (which we always have loads of in the craft cupboard). It just makes it a bit more of an occasion than a regular hot chocolate.

No, they don't need more cuddly toys but they are going to beg for them every year so they get their cuddly toy the night before rather than on the day.

We used to take a photo but haven’t the last few years as my eldest didn’t fancy it. Sometimes we do a breakfast of pancakes but we also do that on a school day that happens to be one of the kids birthdays etc too so not particularly just for back to school. A balloon arch sounds OTT.

In primary we did do a picture by the door, I think every year. Balloon arch and the rest just seems like a waste of money and time let alone random landfill additions for maybe a few likes on social media. I'd rather take Dd on a walk and discuss what she intends to do and if she is worried about anything than spend any time setting up a good photo op!

Get up kidlets! It's time for scchhooollll.....

That's about it. I'm tired of all these rituals were supposed to do. Even more pissed off DD hears about them expects it 'because everyone else is doing it'.

Nice to take a photo if its first day of school or new uniform but otherwise seems silly…

I feel like this with elf on the shelf. My DD heard about it and has asked why we didn't have one. My MIL bought her one in the end. I see pictures and think they look great but I just don't have the time to do it.

We have never done anything like that. Its ridiculous. We take a picture.
What we do do is make sure we are supportive and around for chats/help just incase the day has not gone well.

the best!

I think the only thing I wish I had done was take a photo on their first day for all their schooling so that I could compile a digital first day album for myself and Dh, not for social media as I don't post anything ever. Just to have the memory of how they changed over time on that one specific day.

Perhaps we should all have an “back from annual leave ritual”.

Wake up in the morning and say “oh for fuck sake, work again”, drink coffee, log in, delete, sorry I mean read the endless emails and have a shit day.

I'm my DD's childcare. I'll get them their favourite doughnut/bun, for when they first come in. Then my DD will do a treat tea and they are usually tired, so unwind and into bed. My eldest GC was always up really early, so a special breakfast was planned. I go all out at Easter, Halloween and Christmas, so I don't judge.