Survey highlights flexibility penalty for mums
Despite the post-Covid move to more flexible working, many mums are struggling to get the...read more
It’s back to school and the GCSEs and it’s already a bit of a struggle…
Last week was the trial run. Two days back at school and only son was already complaining of acute exhaustion and falling asleep at both ends of the school run. This week is going to be a bit of a shock to the system. The thing is he had been trying to get up earlier the week before in preparation, unlike his sisters who tended to do the whole back to school thing cold turkey, going from sleeping in till noon to getting up at 7 in 24 hours.
Only son has also been steadily doing homework all holidays. Impressively, given I have spent the last years enticing him to read anything, he read his English book and did a whole course in music theory unasked. He must have been really, really bored! Nevertheless, he was spotted doing Japanese homework on Wednesday evening.
I asked how his first day back went. Inevitably, he said ‘fine’. No more, no less. I asked if he was happy to be back. ‘Not really,’ he said. Happy at least to see his friends? ‘Not really’. Had he been bombarded with stressful exhortations about the GCSEs [he is starting year 10]. Of course, came the gloom-ridden reply. I told him it’s just about doing your best and getting through to the next round where he can ditch all the subjects he hates. I feel that school is very much about the stick approach so I have to go carrot.
His cousin has just started in the year below and is grappling with moving from the Argentine to the UK system. That transition will take time and I hope he gets all the support he needs. He has a buddy whose surname is rebel so he’s fairly happy so far. So far I’ve spotted my brother on the school run both days – the first was him leaving as I was arriving [inevitably late because a meeting overran] for school pick-up. My brother keeps sending me texts about school protocol. ‘What is open evening and do I need to know about it?’ he asks.
Meanwhile, daughters two and three are scouting out daughter three’s campus in advance of starting term at the end of September. Daughter two went up early as her rent kicks in at the start of September. Unfortunately, none of her other flatmates were there and there was no heating. She rang to say she was shivering and watching daytime tv. Daughter three went up the following day armed with a onesie. It will be a strange, quiet year with just only son and us. Every year brings so much change. I guess we just inch slowly forwards, as always.