I Wanna Be Homeschooled!

Motherhood has its poignant moments

I’m off work today and as usual, the joys of ‘adulting’ have me up at the crack of dawn.

Somehow summer really left and I barely noticed.

Somewhere in the periphery, I glimpse from time to time a bit of coolness in the air, more leaves on the lawn, less laughter from kids playing outside.

Since I work 12-hour shifts I never see the light of day anymore. So it’s no wonder I feel left in the dust.

As I walk my 7-year-old, my last baby, to school it is a cool 61 degrees in my corner of the world.

He is wearing shorts because even though the mornings and evenings may get cool, the sun will not be outdone until well in November or December. So one must dress for the dueling temperatures at all times.

The cool begins to insidiously seep into ones’ bones effectively displacing the warmth that once resided there. My toes are numb and frozen and his poor little legs must be feeling worse for wear as he has a larger surface area exposed.

It did cross my mind that I was not the greatest mother as he began complaining that his legs were cold and for me to carry him.

Why did I not insist that we drive instead of walk?

Before we left for school I did bring him to the front door for him to feel the temperature and decide if he wanted to be a “car rider” or a “walker”, he decided we should walk.

So now we have been walking for a few minutes and … “mom, my legs are cold, I’m cold, I don’t wanna walk, can you pick me up?

I don’t want to go, I wanna be homeschooled”!

I walk my last kiddo to school and ponder on my walk back how swiftly time flies, the kids are growing fast, and soon this walk, the request for me to ‘carry him’ will be a thing of the past.

So whenever I am able, I arise at the crack of dawn, when I would really just love a lie-in and we walk to school…

I wrote this story before we had an inkling what COVID was and the word pandemic was something one read in a book, but could never relate to.

Now we know.

At the time I wrote this, my Snookums was requesting to be homeschooled, because he was a bit unwilling to go to school that day. Usually he loves school.

Well the old saying to be careful what you wish for can be aptly applied here.

He got his wish. Though I’m sure not in the way he hoped.

He was homeschooled for a whole school year. By the time that year passed he had the bit between his teeth to return to his peers.

Now he is back in the classroom (though I am terrified, his teachers and other students do not wear a mask, the Texas way), he wears his mask all day, poor kid. I know how uncomfortable it is to wear a mask all day.

But he is pushing though it because he wants to be in school.

Thank you for your time and support.

Pene Hodge is a mom, a nurse, a writer. She writes because she must. She loves people and is committed to sharing and gleaning knowledge for the betterment of all.

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