Strong Starts and the Ugly Middle

Growing up, I had my act together at the start of each new school year. I sat up straight, kept my supplies in order, worked hard to stay clean and cute in my new clothes/penny loafers, took detailed notes, and completed my homework on time. Then somewhere around mid-October, the honeymoon would be over and I’d become less motivated.

Now that I’m a  parent, my M.O. is much the same, and the school year ends up looking something like this:


Beginning of the year...About one month into the year...Make lunches the day before, usually in the afternoon while I’m also making the children a healthy after-school snack.Make lunches at 11pm, while mumbling hate for sac lunches under my breath. -or-
Make lunches the morning of, throwing random things into bags and ensuring tardies all around.Lay out the next day’s outfits before the children are in bed, complete with matching hair bows and socks. Grab clothes out of hampers, turning dirty underwear inside-out and removing smeared Oreo from collars with Clorox Wipes. Or maybe my spit. Get up early to make multi-grain pancakes and nitrate-free sausage links for my children because we have plenty of time to spare for a warm breakfast.Feed children breakfast bars on the way to school, barking at them to chew at lightening speed.Drop kids ten minutes earlyMake a rolling stop in the drop-off line, yelling, “GO, GO, GO!,” as my kids try and fail to beat the bell. Volunteer in the classroomsVolunteer and forget I volunteeredRead all handouts, email blasts, and reports on what my precious children are learning during the school dayRead every fourth-or-so handout and rely on what my children tell me they're learning during the school dayPay tuition on timePay tuition after numerous phone calls from the office reminding me to pay tuitionLimit TV/video game time to 30 min, allowing time to read aloud a classic with the entire familyPleaseSet aside plenty of time for homework, ensuring my children understand-not just memorize-everything they’re learningHa

The longer I’m a parent, and the more God teaches me about His grace and relentless mercy, the less guilt I feel for all the times I’m less than perfect. Which is a lot.

So here’s to a brand new school year...the fresh haircuts, the stain-free clothes, the smell of a new pencil box, the zippers on bags and jackets that actually zip, the excitement of making new friends, the new sports schedules and the soon-to-be fabulous fall colors.

And also, here’s to the fast approaching total exhaustion it all brings. Going to lay hold of grace this year, for myself and my little people, knowing my stellar parenting will undoubtedly give way to barely-hanging-on.

And I’ll get to experience grace.