It’s back to school time.
For my kids, that means an end to late summer nights in the backyard, camping adventures and week-long trips to the farm. For my daughter, there will be no more sleeping in until 11 a.m. and reading all night, and for my son, limited computer time and fewer archery practices.
All in all, it has been a good summer, and in that regard, I am loathe for it to end. I am, however, looking forward to the discipline and routine that school offers, as well as reacquainting myself with the friends I have made while attending my children’s swimming workouts and school events.
Band concerts, sporting events and first report cards are something I, a lover of education, look forward to for this school year.
However, as a parent, back-to-school season also means a long lists of school supplies, such as pens, binders, highlighters, calculators and specialty paper, to purchase.
Along with the necessary school supplies, there are backpacks, shoes, bus passes and gym strip to buy for my two kids.
With a fashion-conscious teenage girl about to go into Grade 10, who wants the latest coloured jeans and at least one pair of new Toms, and a boy that has grown six inches in the past year, there is a need for lot of new jeans, T-shirts and hoodies as well.
Every year, despite a vow to watch my pennies, the whole back-to-school-season once again shocks me with its huge expenses.
September, with its supplies, school and swimming fees, is harder on my pocket book than the gift-heavy December.
The kids need new sports gear, and while swimming might seem like an inexpensive sport, competition suits can run $150 or more, and good goggles, fins and bags aren’t cheap either.
Every time I am hopping into my car to head to Walmart or the mall to purchase yet another forgotten item from the list, I am reminded of the materialism that has become such a part of our life.
I grew up in a small farming community. Like most mothers in my community, my mom stayed home to work on the farm and care for myself and my three siblings, while my dad juggled being a full-time plumber and a part-time farmer.
As a child of the ‘80s, there were times when my dad had no work due to the economic climate. To make ends meet, we planted a large garden and raised our own pork and beef. We also had a milk cow and made our own butter, yoghurt and bread.
My mom was good at stretching her limited budget, and while we were never hungry, there wasn’t a lot of extras. Back–to-school shopping didn’t take long, because we simply didn’t get new outfits, fancy backpacks and brand new binders, pencil cases and markers. We got what we needed and reused our old supplies.
For the most part, us kids fit right in with most of the other youth in the community, but there were those that had brand-name clothes and salon haircuts for the first day of school. I may not remember a lot about those years, but I do know it didn’t matter to me much, I was just so excited to go back to school and see my friends after the long summer.
Before anyone thinks I am a saint, let me admit I was a bit of a tomboy who didn’t pay much heed to what someone wore, as long as they were nice and didn’t mind getting a bit dirty at recess.
I realize things are different for my kids, with so much exposure to media and our choice of living in a growing, affluent city.
Yet, when I take these trips down memory lane I am reminded that life is so much more than what you can get for yourself, be that new pencils and pens, the latest techy gadgets or the brand-new, loaded vehicle.
Life is about experiences and relationships with people, which come out of the ability to overlook the clothes they wear or the activities they are in.
I only hope I can teach that to my kids, both in this back-to-school season and all year round.
