Back to school! Back to reality!

It's here again! Like the changing of seasons or cycles of life; summer vacation comes and goes and school years begin just as they ended....in a flurry of activity! Every where you turn the reminder is there. It's in the stores, commercials, flyers, all over social media and once the first day for most comes, there is the flood of photos. Pictures all over Facebook and Instagram of happy little faces in brand new outfits, backpacks and lunch kits, excited for the new year. At the same time, countless posts of parents excited for school to restart, for the return to some normalcy and routine.

Here's a question...What if you're not excited for back to school? Now, don't get me wrong, I'm always excited for every new adventure in our lives, and an adventure for our little one is an adventure for us. However, for us back to school is back to unwanted schedules. First, we are all night owls in this house...my kid included. So, getting up at the crack of dawn isn't our thing! Who is with me on work and school starting at 10 am instead?! Second, we love to travel but, hate pulling her from school. This means that during the school year we are pretty sedentary and we get pretty stressed when anyone try's to change how our routine works. You might ask, "What is the big deal if you change things up or if your kid misses school?". For some kids your right, it's no big thing. Ours, is a different story. Some children don't do well with routine changes that happen back and fourth to quickly. This is yet another reason why summer is so glorious.

There is this sense of freedom in the summer. We don't need ridged bedtimes, which relieves a lot of stress. After all, arguing with a mini you to go to bed is never easy. Then there is camping, family visits, long days and warm nights, vacations and road trips. On account of my self employment and hubby's odd schedule, summers always work better to live a bit of a gypsy life with impromptu outings and activities that we don't normally get to try. Sadly, the fun must end and we must all pay the piper. That means back to school, early morning, less sleep for us night owls, that can't seem to shut our eyes before 11 or 12 pm, and soon after school starts its cooler weather and less leeway with our free time.

For all those moms and dads out there who equally see the first day of school not as a break but as a loss of their freedom, I lament with you and share in your pain. Today I will be taking the pictures and rejoicing in her adventures of the school year to come but instead of celebrating the school year starting and having more time to myself...I'm going to wallow, just a bit, in our loss of freedom of choosing when our days start and end; as well as the loss of our ability to freely go wherever we feel like, when ever we want. For this mama, the first day of school will always be bittersweet not because my child is growing up; I rejoice in all those milestones, but, because we are a family that dances to the beat of a different drum and I've learned that's ok. 

Picture taken during one of our summer road trips! We will miss you summer!