When summer comes to a crashing halt each September, parents are usually left feeling a lot of different emotions. Maybe you’ve been pining for Labor Day since June. Or maybe you’ve been avoiding back to school thoughts like the plague. You might just fall somewhere in between the two. Whether the lunch box half full or half empty for you, we’re all getting some feels on the first day of school. So which category do you fall into?
The First Timer
Parting is such sweet sorrow
Parents sending kids off to school for the first time tend to be the most emotional. Even if they’ve been waiting years for a little midday me time, they aren’t prepared for the separation woes that go along with it. They’re often plagued by the concern of leaving their young children in the care of strangers. Rossville mom Michelle Yannaco shared her trepidation on sending her twins off to pre-kindergarten.
“I’m very excited that they will be getting a formal education but at the same time I’m very apprehensive and nervous because they won’t be in my care,” she said. “It’s hard to trust people you don’t know. That’s my main fear.”
The Work-at-Home Mom
See ya! Wouldn’t wanna be ya!
Everyone thinks working from home is the best of both worlds and anyone who gets paid to work in their pj’s will agree it has its benefits. But working from home when the kids are off for the summer means pulling double duty all day long as both mom and employee. September spells relief for these frazzled parents struggling to entertain bored kids while attempting to meet work deadlines.
Staten Island Parent’s Editor, Jeannine Cintron, admits that she couldn’t be more excited for the first day. “My daughter literally sits on my shoulders while I type away and my son has had a lot more screen time than I care to admit. It’s so hard getting work done while they’re home. They need to go back to school so I can go back to work – and we can all go back to feeling a little more sane!”
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The New Mom
Oh. It’s September?
Most new parents are understandably too busy changing diapers and scheduling naptime to know the school year is starting. Former Staten Island resident and mom to two-year-old twins Angelina Millaj has mixed feelings about her girls’ future first days. “I didn’t even realize it was back to school time until I saw my neighbor’s son hanging his backpack on his new hook,” she said. “I got all anxious like this kid’s in school?! MY KIDS ARE NEXT. I really don’t know if I’ll be happy about that or sad that they are starting to grow up. Probably just elated I can drink coffee alone.”
The PTA President
Let the bake sales begin
A new school year means fresh opportunities to reconnect with other parents and make friends with some new ones as well. Joining the PTA is a good way to accomplish that. Tottenville mom of three Kelly O’Brien is very active in her children’s school. “A new year always brings the excitement of a clean slate,” she said. “We’re always trying to find new ways to both raise money for the school and bring enjoyment to the kids.”
However, she’s wistful in letting her favorite season slip away. “The lazy, fun-filled days of summer are over,” she adds with a sigh.
The Working Mom
Too tired for any of it
For Richmond Town mom of four Elizabeth Diorio, a single parent who works full time, the back to school season tends to bring additional stress to her already hectic life. Her kids spend the majority of their summer days enjoying camp adventures or hanging with grandma, so July and August are more laid back for her family than the rest of the year. “The absolute worst part for me is having to come home after working 10+ hours and doing common core homework with them all night long when I’m already beyond exhausted,” she lamented.
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The Seasoned Pro
It never gets easier
You might expect parents of older kids to be used to the annual back to school routine. But for Long Island mom Denise Laino, who has a junior in high school and another junior in college, it’s gotten harder every year. Her daughters’ busy schedules are jam packed with tough classes, varsity sports, part time jobs and more.
“I’m not a fan of the first day of school. I truly love having them home. School now means so much stress on every level for both of them,” she says. “One daughter is a four-hour drive away. Not being able to be there when she needs me kills me. As for my other daughter, to say her class load is insane is an understatement. She is taking all honors and AP classes. She is very determined and wants to succeed with high honors.”
“I understand that school is a necessary part of life but it truly takes everything out of them — and me.”
The Grandparent
More pictures please!
The first day of school can give everyone the feels – even grandma and grandpa. They’re caught between feelings of nostalgia for their own kids’ long-ago first days and the joy of seeing their grandchildren reaching new milestones with each passing each year. Michele Benedicks, who has five grandchildren living in Travis, is always beaming with pride when the first day rolls around. “I’m just so happy and proud of them when they go back to school. But I’m also nervous because I want them to enjoy themselves and love school,” she said. She anxiously awaits all of the sweet first day pics and added “I’m always excited to see how their first day outfits are going to look!”
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