Yes, it's that time of year again.
Across the country, parents and their children are getting ready. One final long weekend, and it's a "new year." Thousands of these families are preparing for NBTS Day.
That would be Not Back To School Day.
While other families have spent the last few weeks spending hundreds of dollars on school supplies (not just for their own kids, but for the entire classroom, for the entire year!) and clothes for their children, hundreds more on various school fees now required by our "free" public school system, and struggling to get their kids back onto "school time," there are parents like myself who have completely stepped out of the system.
On tuesday, while other children will be starting their first day of school (or already have, depending on what the first official day of school is in their province), thousands of home schooling families across the country will instead be attending their local Not Back to School Picnic. Still others have teens, many of whom have saved their own money for months for the occaision, that will be going to Not Back to School Camp later on. Instead of spending the last long weekend making sure we've got all the supplies on a list, that the kids have all their clothes and equipment, and trying to get the kids to bed at a "decent" hour, we will be deciding what potluck dish to bring to the picnic. Since it's in the afternoon, we'll probably stay up really late and sleep in that morning. While I wasn't able to get the day off work to attend, my husband did, and he will be taking the girls. It'll be the first one for us since we've moved. After that, we will be back to our regular monday get togethers at the park, which had been suspended for the summer.
For a lot of home schooling families - even unschooling ones - we look forward to the start of the new school year. That may sound strange, but I'll admit straight out, it's for a very selfish reason. It's because we will finally get the parks, libraries, museums and other favourite haunts, back from OPK's - Other People's Kids. So many people have been trying to cram so much into their few short weeks of freedom, it's become difficult to truly enjoy our usual outings, or take the time to fully experience our trips - even if it's just a daytime trip to the mall or grocery store. Don't get me wrong. Normally, I enjoy the company of OPK's. Just not so many of them at once. LOL
I'm really looking forward to the new "school" year.
But for now, any ideas for a potluck dish that's simple and can handle spending almost an hour on public transit, plus a lot of walking?
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteWe too look forward to all the kids returning to school. Kevin even makes it out to the bus some mornings to watch the kids go to school. I am not sure how the other kids feel about watching Kevin not get on the bus :) Everything is much less crowded and quite. Love going to the zoo then too.
ReplyDeleteLOL Does he smile and wave as the bus goes by? That's hilarious.
ReplyDeleteI remember listening to a talk given by a guy who built a business large enough that he could quit his job and live very comfortably. Some of the people who gave him the hardest time, telling him his business would never work, etc., were people he saw on the way to work every morning. After he "retired" from his job, he'd still get up in the morning, out of habit. Since he was up anyway, he'd go out in his bathrobe and slippers with a mug of coffee, stand at a nearby intersection, smiling and waving as his former fellow commuters.
Then he'd go home and go back to bed.
*BEG*
That is great! I do worry about a parent or bus driver thinking that he is just deciding not to get on the bus each morning. :)
ReplyDelete