Bye bye, holidays. We will miss you! Hello routine, wet school runs, darker nights and packed lunches.
Wriggly (3 years 3 months)
- You are such a character! You’re funny, crazy, loud, energetic and just cute enough to eat.
- I’ve only just managed to give do tiny pigtails with your hair again, after all the hair-cutting shenanigans of the past few months. Your hair is quite coarse and thick now!
- You shouted at me, “Stupid girl!” When I refused to give you yet another snack. Bad habits develop so much quicker when you have older siblings. My friend Reneé mentioned banning the word ‘stupid’ from her home: she’s a genius! I think I’ll jump on the bandwagon. Banning words had never occurred to me before!
- Whenever I give you my iPad to watch cartoons, you normally settle for Peppa Pig or Paw Patrol, but recently, you’ve been watching my YouTube channel instead, especially videos featuring you and your siblings, our monthly ‘Snapshots and Scenes’ 60-second video about our month. I love that!
- At the end of your 2nd full day at preschool, you shouted, “I love preschool!”
When I asked you what you liked about preschool, you answered, as it it were the most obvious thing on earth, “pancakes!”
Me: “Did you have pancakes at school?
You: “No pancakes at school.”
Me: “So what do you like at school?”
You: “Pancakes!” OK, then. I give up.
Jumpy (4 years 10 months)
- Not your traditional first day of school photo, huh? I love your gangsta-like confidence, the fact your dress fits perfectly, those whiter-than-white socks, your shiny new shoes (gift from Startrite).
- You have now started school and you have loved every minute of Reception so far.
- On your 3rd day, you fell off your scooter on your way to school and grazed your elbow, but you were fine and smiley as soon as you got to school, phew!
- As you were licking your arm one afternoon (totally normal behaviour, right?), you declared: “Do you know why I wish I was a doughnut? So I could eat myself!”
- You could spend hours on FaceTime with your best friend. You chat to each other, you laugh, you ask each other what you had for lunch, you talk about school and your other friends. You look out for each other yet you fight like sisters do. I love watching your little relationship grow and grow and grow.
- You insist on wearing school dresses that have a zip on rather than buttons. Oh that’s brilliant! What did I buy? Dresses with buttons only! You were happy with them when we bought them and not once did you mention a zip. Result? You’re wearing your big sister’s old tatty dresses rather than the brand new ones I got you. Luckily, your little sister starts school next year so I won’t insist too much. Let’s hope she isn’t as particular about the type of dresses she wears as you are!
Beanie (6 years 11 months)
- You are loving Year 2. Apparently, it’s a lot easier than Year 1 (so far) and you’ve managed to get up without a tantrum every morning so far. Whoop whoop.
- You have had a lot less meltdowns recently.
- Your hair is growing a lot and I’ve managed to do ‘Anna’ plaits for you (2 Dutch plaits) a couple of times this week. You love it when we take them off the next day and you have what you call “bumpy hair.”
- You were given forms for after school clubs this week and you decided to attend every single one. This year, you will still be going to choir and football after school. You will also be joining the ‘Mini Olympics.’ I have no idea where you find the energy!
- So far, you’ve been really enthusiastic about the reading book you’ve brought home.
Crevette (9 years 1 month)
- You went to a 10th birthday party last week and the invitation said to come dressed as a celebrity. The only celebrity you know is YouTuber DanTDM so we sprayed your hair blue, made a diamond pick axe with a printable stuck on cardboard and off you went!
- So just like that, you are in Year 5. I still remember sobbing uncontrollably after dropping you on your very first day of preschool. How has time gone so fast?
- We have already started talking about secondary schools, and I absolutely abhor the fact there is an entry exam for most of the good schools around here. I simply cannot understand why children who are barely 10 have to take this exam to attend half of the schools in our area. Can they honestly say that all children have the same chances of a place? I would be really interested to see statistics about the number of paid tuitions taken by each successful candidate. I wonder whether there would be many who haven’t been taught how to take this test… I will not pay for one single tuition for that. Absolutely no way! Rant over.
- Your new thing is to sleep on a mattress on the floor next to me. You don’t come until you’ve finished reading your book and you’re ready to fall asleep. I’m not sure where this came from. I think you’re secretly scared you (or I!) won’t wake up for school in the morning.
- You begged me not to sign you up for any of the sports-based after school clubs. You remind me of me so much! I would (and still do) hate exercise and love nothing more than a good book or a quiet arty activity. I still do actually! You might turn into your mother, little man!
