Angst #4

Nathan has been placed in afternoon kindergarten.

Kindergarten is half day. In order to save money, they split it into morning and afternoon, so they could double up on class space and teachers.

I asked for morning, but not everyone get their first choice, due to the fact that everyone wants morning. Also, I waited until almost 10am on the day registrations were due to turn in my registration, as I didn't realize it was first come first serve. I thought it was random.

Why is this a big deal, you ask? What is the problem?

We get up in the morning, and I get the kids ready to do the day's activity. Most days, the kids go to school. At least Nick goes to school. If the kids don't go to school they have library, or they have gymnastics. There is usually something to get us out of the house.

At 11:30, I pick up the kids from preschool, or our activity is over, and we go home, have lunch, and nap. Andy still needs a nap. Sometimes Nate needs a nap. I sometimes need a nap.

Now imagine, for a moment, that all of this turns on it's head because I was late getting the registration in, or don't know the right people, or because I know the wrong people, take your choice.

I drop Andy off at school, and I still have Nate all morning. The free time I used to have when the kids were in school at the same time is gone. I pick Andy up, and I still have Nate, but now I have both of them for another odd length of time because drop of for Kindergarten is an hour after pick up for Andy, meaning it's too little time to go home and eat, but too long to go right there. And then I have Andy all afternoon.

I can't sign Andy up for morning gymnastics unless I bring Nate, and Andy won't do well in the afternoon class because he gets grumpy without a nap. I get no free time to clean, shop, write, run, volunteer, do anything without having to fetch juice or entertain or keep an eye out to make sure a lone child doesn't write on the walls or eat all the crackers or ty and swing from the hall light with a jump rope to be like Tarzan. Ever. It's back to last year before Andy was in school at all, only with more driving.

I am so upset about this, it is unreasonable. There is a slight chance that he might be changed to morning, as it wasn't our first choice. But I'm pretty sure I don't know the right people for that. It's just that, with one little letter, I went from really looking forward to next year to really dreading it.