‘Wake me up when September ends’
Every year the transition from August to September brings huge changes to school going households.
What a fantastic summer that was. The summer of 2025 will be long remembered for rays of sunshine and record-breaking temperatures which filled us to capacity with vitamin D to help carry us through the long winter months.
I think it’s something we are all very grateful for, considering the miserable summer we had in 2024. The summer of 2025 is now a sunshine hazed memory of absolute bliss.
Every year the transition from August to September brings huge changes to school going households. In my opinion, a line needs to be drawn somewhere in the sand to show a clear distinction between the two months, as we can be tricked into thinking they are similar.
As we rush through the days of September there seems to be a reluctance to let go of those sunny summer evenings. In defiance of the change of season and the flowers no longer blooming, we tend to carry on our daily lives like we are in the height of summer. We’re certainly not at the October stage where we can close the curtains at 6 p.m. and shut out the outside world, but it’s also difficult to sustain the pace of the summer given that there is now the small addition of a 7/8-hour school day, homework and everything else a “normal” beginning of autumn routine brings.
For me personally this seems to make the month of September one big tedious and tiresome rush.
We start the day where we rush the children out of bed, to rush their breakfast, hurry them to brush their teeth, grab their lunches and schoolbags, and tear out the door to get into school as quickly as possible. As we sprint head on into the working day thoughts of what’s in the fridge for dinner that can be quickly cooked can enter minds. After the children return from school they are hastily changed out of uniform (so we don’t have to put an unexpected wash on…no time for it sure) and rush to get all the homework done. It’s vital then to gobble up some promptly made dinner before we rush out to some sports related activity which is inevitably brought forward as the evenings are closing in.
Arriving home once again the children are marched up the stairs for their showers and pressured to bed quickly to get to sleep, as the following morning is approaching fast and guess what?...... it’s a busy day ahead!
After all the years of rushing wouldn’t it be sad to wake up one morning to find that the time has come for them to leave home?
A busy and vibrant home can also change in the blink of an eye to one which is silent and dormant and I for one am in no rush to get to that stage of life.
On occasion I feel the handbrake needs to be pulled and that we let children be children. Soon enough they’ll have enough of stress and rushing of their own to contend with in their adult lives.
The years do quickly pass by, and time waits for no person including parents. I feel it’s important to step back every so often to breathe and enjoy the moment because nothing lasts forever. We can all rush to make plans and then God laughs.
For now, it’s important to set a sustainable pace to the day for everyone, try to enjoy it as best as we can and sing along to the words of the band Green Day “Wake me up when September ends”.
