08/31/10
by Robin Kaye
Today is my favorite day of the year—the first day of school for two of my three children. The third started yesterday so we packed up her and all her belongings on Sunday, dropped her off at her host family’s house, said a not-so-tearful goodbye, and got the heck out of Dodge. I know that sounds harsh, but believe me when I say Twinkle Toes, my ballerina, is almost impossible to be around unless she’s dancing 40 hours per week.
Sunday evening freedom was so close at hand, I could almost taste it. My husband and I went to dinner on our way home and spoke of nothing but how lovely it will be when our kids are firmly ensconced in their much-dreaded schoolwork, when my day will consist of six blessed hours of silence, when I have time to write with no child poking his or her head in my office door to ask how my writing is going, when I can have a train of thought that won’t skip the tracks do to a fight between hormonal teenage girls (some of which aren’t even mine), the cacophony of competing YouTube videos, iTunes, and the ever-present television – all of which seem to be in my office or just outside my door will not longer intrude, when I can officially impose a 10:00 bedtime and maybe spend a few minutes alone with my husband before he too is asleep.
Freedom is sweet, even if it’s only for six short hours, five days a week if I’m lucky. The person who designed the teacher’s in-service day or the dreaded teacher planning half-day, seemingly on a weekly basis is, in my opinion, the devil’s spawn. How is an author to write when kids come and go on what seems like an endless cycle of three and a half or four-day school weeks? Still, compared to having three teenagers at home for the last month, the promise of them being out from underfoot for most of the week seems like heaven to me.
This day, August 31st is the happiest day of my year. It’s Christmas, my birthday and Valentine’s Day all wrapped into three large brown-paper bags, each containing a juice box, a sandwich, and an apple. It’s all that and a bag of chips.
What’s your favorite day of the year and why?
22 Responses
Hi Robyn. So then, we could easily insert you here, in this video? LOL. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwcYbo7pjto
my favorite day fluctuates year to year–but can’t honestly say I have a favorite. Hope youre chugging through a slew of words right now
OMG! That’s sooooo me, but after the last kid gets on the school bus since I really hate shopping (especially for school supplies. Who writes those stupid lists anyway?) What a fab commercial though! If I didn’t already get my school supplies at Staples, I’d switch!
I don’t have kids. But following your activities on your blogs, I could certainly understand how children could make it nearly impossible to write. I’m sure it’s a bittersweet roller coaster. Isn’t there another favorite day in say, May, where they come home and you can’t wait?
I’d have to say my favorite week of every year is when cold (or at least 75 degree) dry air hits and I can say goodbye to hot and humid. THEN I can count on sitting outside for long stretches to write (even if I’m covered in a blanket). Second would be the Christmas New Year season when I get to go home to visit D.C. For the last three I’ve had to go in January because of the mail job, but no more!
Okay, another favorite day is when I have all the kids together during the school year. With Twinkle Toes only being home on Sundays, and my son going for his Eagle in Boy Scouts, out every weekend camping with the Scouts or his Venture Crew, having all the kids home and having a nice Sunday supper as a whole family is wonderful. Then I don’t even mind listening to them fighting over who has to do the dishes.
My favorite days are Thursdays when I have no court. Somebody else takes the docket for me (for a not so nominal sum) and I can stay home, docked at my computer or sleeping in with reckless glee (it can be done, try it). My absolute, all time, best most favorite gift from life is and always has been unstructured time alone. Those days, with no obligations, no reason to leave the property, no commitments outside my own little orbit–they are rare and sweet, and they are my most productive.
Ah, Grace. That sounds lovely! It’s going to be a few years–5 to be exact– until I can do that. Still, the alternative for me is not so bad.
My favorite day is the one I happen to be sitting in.
(Pollyanna alert. My posts should come with a warning: I’m on coffee.) Seriously, even a bad day has its good sides. I have yet to go through a bad experience I didn’t learn something from, and everyone who ticks you off has the potential to be a great story antagonist somewhere down the line.
I know what you mean about the joys of shipping the progeny off to school, but in my case, back-to-school makes things worse to some degree. Once school starts, there’s parent/teacher meetings, parent/faculty meetings, meet-the-teacher night (two schools), school board, projects and assignments and HOMEWORK, oh my! Plus I’m back to the day job on a regular schedule, and it all cuts into my writing time. I can take a day off once in a while–forget sick days, I need Mental Health days–but “once in a while” don’t get the story written. Come next Tuesday, I’m up and running at 5:30, and summer is officially over for me. Waaaah!
In summation, contrary to the t-shirt, today’s looking pretty good. Tomorrow’s not half bad either.
Okay, Pollyanna…
I didn’t say I don’t love the days I have my kids home, but I do so love to see them go away for a little while too. Especially my daughter Twinkle Toes who doesn’t know what to do with herself unless she’s dancing 40 hours per week. She’s impossible! I love her dearly, but she’s not good at doing nothing. Nor does she excel at finding something to do on her own. She needs to dance. She needs the activity, the structure, and the constant need to concentrate. She has one more week until dance officially begins. Thank God school started and now she can sneak off to the Studio and do barre exercises on her own.
Today I too did the Snoopy dance as the last of my three children got on the bus. Oh, yeah, Ho ray!, Do be do be do. Play on Schroeder, play on.
While I do enjoy having my children home, there is something in the air that takes over about two to three weeks before they go back to school that allows the “I’m bored, he’s looking out my window. hey that’s mine,” bicker bug set in. It drives me to the point of insanity.
This morning, my children seemed excited to see their friends and get back to school. Let’s see, that will take about a day or two and then they will be complaining that they have too much school work and not enough sleep.
Ah, I remember the days.
Laura – I’m with you. Twinkle Toes and my youngest couldn’t wait to get back to school. My 17-year-old, not so much. He’s doing ROTC this year, I’m waiting to see if he comes home with the instructions to get a hair cut. I’m afraid it’s going to be bye bye to those gorgeous curls of his. Personally, I think the only reason he keeps his hair a little longer is to please me, and because the girls at school like to straighten it. One time he had seven girls all playing with his hair at one time. I didn’t raise no dummy!
Robin-
I am right there with you on the first day of school. I so appreciate that old Staples commercial to the tune of “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” as the dad’s buying school supplies.
It’s not just having those quiet hours to write. September for me always means the return of a routine and new beginnings. Like the kids starting a new grade, it’s a fresh start for me – whether it’s the joy of a new project or just being reinspired by cooler temperatures and a different season.
Oh Alex, isn’t it wonderful! I’m so excited about getting back to work. Thrilled actually, and it’s been a while since I’ve felt thrilled to write. It’s good for the soul!
Always the contrarian here.
The best day of the year is when my children are home and we are all together as a family.
We will be experiencing one of those happy days on Saturday and Sunday of this week. My son, daughter-in-law, DH and I will be driving to New York, picking up our daughter and going on to my brother’s wedding. So we’ll not only be together, we’ll be together with all the nieces and nephews and cousins, aunts and uncles.
This only happens at weddings and funerals.
Increasingly, getting the nuclear family together occurs only rarely. This Thanksgiving, my daughter will be in Chicago. We’ll all be together for a few hours on Christmas Day before my son and his bride take a three-week trip to Colombia to meet her extended family.
So, I know that living with teenagers is a trial, but enjoy every minute and every interruption. There will come a time when your home seems quiet and empty. I spent all of last week at home, writing. Yes it was quiet as a tomb, but it was so very lonely.
Oh Hope! Enjoy the time together. It was such a bummer this summer when we went on a family vacation minus my son. I missed him something terrible. I do so appreciate my kids and the time we have together. But I gotta tell you, I’m with Laura, the last three weeks have been quite nightmarish!
Having a teenager to get to school has helped my writing so I was glad when he went back to school. I also live in a mid-size college town (20,000) students and have to admit, there is a certain energy that pervades the entire town when they come back.
Getting my teenager to school at 7:15 a.m. gets me out of the house early. I use the time to go to a local coffee shop and get at least an hour of writing in “first thing.” With him out of school over the summer, those early morning writing sessions went by the boards and I didn’t accomplish nearly as much as I thought I would. Thank heavens school is back in session!
Claranne
Claranne~ I’m right there with you! I’m just not looking forward to all those lovely forms I’m going to have to fill out tonight (I did Twinkle Toes’ yesterday). It’s also the only day of the year I get writers cramp!
Hi Robin!
My children don’t go back to school until Sept. 7th. Then my oldest will be around until she leaves for college the last week in September. I find my best time to write is early, early morning…maybe 5:00 a.m. when I can drag myself out of bed..which, when I’m on a roll, isn’t all that hard. Enjoy your peace and quiet.
Thanks, Wendy!
5:00 AM is pretty early. When my kids were little, I’d tuck them into bed and then write until 3 or 4 AM. I think staying up late is a lot easier than getting up early, but then I’ve always been a bit of a night owl.
Hey Robin,
You’ve got my vote for favorite day of the year. I didn’t think yesterday would ever end. Now sitting here alone having spent the day in solitude, pacing from room to room and not getting anything accomplished, I am now watching the clock tick down because in the next 5 minutes I think one of “them” will be slamming through the door, claiming they’re famished, while tossing all their school**** willy-nilly and the first-day-back-to-school aftermath will begin. I want to cry. How could I have wasted those precious seven hours wondering how their day went. Robin, you are right. I am totally wrapped.
Well there’s the door. the first one’s home. Gee, I wonder when the kids are supposed to get out?
Hugs,
Deborah
LOL Deborah – Your boys do have you soooo wrapped! But it’s pretty cute. I did get something done, no thanks to the two hours I spent on the phone with you… It’ll be better tomorrow!
The first day of school used to be a national holiday for me when the kids were young. Now that they’re older (and are old enough and smart enough to leave me alone when I’m writing), it’s not such a big deal. But I will enjoy not having the TV on constantly, or Top 40 music on constantly.
I have to say, though, I’m really looking forward to my free time too.
My other favorite day? Saturday. The only day I don’t work at my “other” job. I love that other job, but it can be darn inconvenient to my writing career.
Rebecca, maybe you can give me and all the other moms doing a Snoopy Happy Dance on the first day of school lessons on how you get your kids (of any age) to leave you alone while you’re writing! I know I need one!