Click here for some great mommmy and baby freebies from BabiesOnline.com

Main Page Site Index Getting Pregnant Pregnancy Parenting Pregnancy and Parenting Journals Fertility Nutrition Pregnant Moms Morning Sickness Women's Health Child Health	Ahhh, Back to School I loved the back to school season as a child. Brand new everything! Fresh, clean, unspoiled pages of pink and yellow notebooks. Pointy tipped pencils that begged to be used. Unvandalized pencil cases, void of any hearts or lovey-dovey C.H. Loves P.M.'s. Unbroken and level rulers, fresh batteries in an unmarred calculator, brand spankin' new back pack (one of my personal favorite back to school items), a few new outfits, a new pair of shoes, and you're set for the year. Well, maybe not the year. Let's say the first few months. Thinking back, I realize that that's pushing it. Notebooks get lost, calculators broken, pencils stolen and clothing, well, clothing comes and goes faster than the blink of an eye. Just hope that the shoes you buy your child will still be cool enough to wear by the time school actually starts! Back to school has a whole new ring to it when you're a nanny. After three months of thinking of what to do today and answering that very same question when asked, back to school brings thoughts of pure joy. No more, "What are we doing today? Can we go here? Can we go there? Can so-and-so come over? When are we going to do something? I want to go home. This park is boring and I have to go pee NOW." Summer is a fabulous time, don't get me wrong. Nothing beats lazing around a sunny park, packing a fresh picnic, riding bikes, visiting the wading pool, taking nature walks, playing in the sand. But the happiness and relaxation in those moments tend to sometimes disappear. With a certain three and a half year old I know, it became, "It's too hot, I don't want this kind of sandwich again, its too hard to ride my bike, the waters too cold, when are we finished this walk, my shoes are full of sand, whine, whine, whine." So forgive me if the thought of the impending school year makes me tingle with delight. I'm not off scot-free this school year though. Our school year only consists of three mornings a week, but three mornings taken care of are three mornings that I don't have to worry about what we should do. And my little guy really looks forward to his school days. At the end of each day he would always ask, is it a school day tomorrow? The look of disappointment when I told him it wasn't was enough to melt your heart. This kid wants to learn! But he should be a little more satisfied this school year with his three days a week schedule compared to the two days he had for just half of the year last year. It is very gratifying when a child has such a thirst for knowledge and sociability that he is actually anxious and excited about getting to school. There was never any prodding or hurry-up-ing to get him out the door on a school day. No sir, he saved those all up for haircut days. Well, the start of the school year looms ever closer and the stores are forever running out of the new notebooks with the Backstreet Boys emblazoned on the front cover (are they even cool anymore?) so hurry and get yours now. Get the new pencils, the new rulers, calculators, pens, cases, book bags, clothes and shoes and just pray that the trends don't change too dramatically by the time September rolls around because you KNOW that your child will not go to school dressed in THAT! Charlotte Macchia has been a full time nanny for nearly 5 years who has been taking care of little George since he was one month old. She has been married to Patrick (Pasquale) Macchia since August, 1997 and is looking forward to having kids of her own. She has recently been published in Equinox magazine and is looking forward to a career in writing which will allow her family time also. She was born in London, England and now lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the prairies of Canada, but seeing as her loves include hiking, climbing and skiing, hopes to move west soon! Patrick, George, and Charlotte