Back when I was a kid, I dreaded seeing the “back to school” signs in stores and malls. Such signage clearly marks the “beginning of the end” and I would find myself in denial for those weeks leading up to the inevitable first day of school.
Now, as a parent of a 14 year old boy (he’ll be a freshman in high school this year! Where did the time go?) and a 9 year old girl (she’s entering her last year of elementary school), those “back to school” signs I dreaded as a youth have different meanings to me as a parent.
First, I dread the end of summer. I simply love the few months of warm / hot temperatures we get here in Michigan — and when I see those signs, it reminds me of how fleeting this time is.
Second, those signs start so early now! I saw some stores posting “back to school” signs at the beginning of the Fourth of July Weekend. Ugh. Can’t retailers wait to remind us of pending doom, and let us live in disbelief for a little while longer? I mean seriously, I’m not going to run out and buy a trapper keeper on July 4th. It’s just too darned soon!
Third, it's getting so expensive! Of course the list of supplies seems to grow each year, and the prices for these supplies grow, too. (At this point, I haven’t been notified that I must purchase a tablet for my high schooler yet, but I’m guessing that day will come sooner than I’d prefer.) And it’s not just the supplies; clothes are becoming more important to the kids as they get older and fashion and image become much more important in their lives. I sure do miss the days when a 60 minute trip to Kohl’s could cover both kids for the year!
So, to all of us parents (and their kids), those darned “back to school” signs bring a myriad of emotions. For most of us, those emotions result in the desire to drink wine.
As I mentioned earlier, I currently live in Michigan, a state that many wine clubs can ship to. (Find which wine clubs ship to your state here.) As I currently subscribe to a number of wine clubs like the Gold Medal Wine Club, my cellar is often filled with delicious wines from California, the Pacific NorthWest, Chile, Argentina, Spain and Italy. (And when I get wines from the Plonk wine club, they’re from, quite literally, everywhere in the world!) So, I’m set for wine.
And, I have roughly 2 weeks to go! So, the countdown is on. But, many of my friends in other states have already begun their school years. In fact, my super-awesomeest-bestest-friend-in-the-world, Lisa is a teacher in Florida — and her school year has already begun! (She was my son’s second grade teacher when we lived in Tampa for a year for work.) Lisa is a big wine lover, and I’m using the “which wine clubs ship to Florida” page to find her a great Red Wine Club that can ship to her. NOTE: My “gift” of wine to her is actually rather selfish, as I’ll be visiting her this winter to help drink it!
I digress…
So the point here, is that many people react similar to me when they see “back to school”, and the related emotions of dread and forecasts of costs. They want to drink wine!
Thus, I found it hilarious when I saw a few images on social media, sharing my exact sentiment.
I thought I’d share a few of them with you, to lighten up your day.
What does back to school mean to you and your family?
