Nothing can prepare you for the moment your little one starts school. Yes, they have been driving you mad for the past few years! But once they start school, you don’t know what to do for yourself. News flash: this isn’t the only shock you are in for either! Read on to discover what most parents wish they knew before their children started school.
You will be slightly scared of the head teacher – It’s not only children that are scared of the head teacher! It turns out that everyone is. It does not matter how different the education system is today, you will feel like you are six years old again when you come across the school head.
It’s going to cost you more money than you realise – If your child is going to state school, you will still face requests for money on a regular basis. Not only do you have school lunches to fund, but there will also be requests for money for clubs and school trips too. It’s important to be prepared for this. After all, it is beneficial for your child and you won’t want them to miss out on a school trip or joining an after-school club. If money is tight, start a small saving fund for all things school related.
Getting your kids out the house takes way longer than you think – Mummy, I have lost my schoolbook! Mummy, I am hungry! Mummy, I can’t find my sock! The list goes on, and on, and on some more! Most parents find that mornings consist of any excuse to stall on an epic scale, and you will be running around frantically trying to clean their teeth and pack their school bag at the same time.
You won’t have a clue what your kid does during their day – Realistically, your kid’s teacher is not going to have time to tell you about what your child does on a daily basis at school. After all, there are 29 other sets of parents that are in the same position, and it is not as easy as getting some information when picking up your kids, as was the case at nursery or pre-school. Plus, you will find that your child probably doesn’t tell you much about what they learnt or the different tasks they did.
Your child will switch best friends quicker than a Z-list celebrity – Children seem to have a new best friend every day of the week. This is completely normal, so don’t worry if they are best friends with Kate one day and Sophie the next. Just make sure you are on hand should a falling out occur, which is likely.
Belongings go missing, no matter how much you try to prevent it – There must be an invisible uniform thief at every school, as no matter how hard you try, things go missing. Your child will inevitably leave half of their stuff at school, which means you end up needing to buy a replacement. You can really see why you need this school saving fund now, right?