WORKING MOMS AND END OF TERM WAHALA

Emerald School Kids drawing while the School ED watched

This past weeks have been full of activities for me. From my kids class assemblies to Parents Teachers Forums, from PTA AGM to Graduation ceremony, gosh! why cant I be excused from all of this. Besides I am expected to run my PR business, sign up new clients, meet deadlines and be a loving wife and caring mom. Getting married nobody tells you about the hard task of running a home. Now my greatest nightmare, end of term is almost here. At the end of this week, all my four sons will be home, do I need to talk about their activities? No, I don't think so. Im sure you already know how gentle boys can be. The schools have a way of relieving parents, at least the hour they spend at school give a window to do other things, get some sleep and sanity. Now end of term and a long vacation for that matter, I will be having all kids at home and no school at all. The summer schools are short hours and creates it's own summer wahala .... let me stop winning abeg.

Natural antithesis is a good description for working moms and end of school term : a sweaty race against time to show that we are really competent child-rearers, despite evidence to the contrary.

I set off last week to look at the Sparkle Hall for our July 31st Moms Meet-Up, only to receive a phone call informing me that my presence was required at my sons school, yes the one that will be graduating from the reception class. I had signed up to participate at the graduation ceremony as a compere, see trouble! I must have accepted this role in my moment of madness. What was I thinking.

It may be normal to feel a sneaky dread about the approach of the long holidays, but that's nothing compared to the constantly harried feeling of the final week of school. Teachers know this and can exact revenge for all those days we sent them in with toothpaste stained uniform. If you have been sucked into fee-paying schools like my husband and I, a large part of you wishes to shout back that the reason you can't attend the school event of the week is that you are damn well busy working to pay them. Hello! some body feeling me! Many of this private schools still deem working mom to be a bit of an aberration.

You hear statements like "Such a shame you can't be with us for parents' day," trills a note from the big school, closely followed by a pathetic plea from a shiny-eyed primary child to appear at assembly at office meeting time, in order to watch a 45-minute Kabuki drama about Responsibility. Well did anybody send me, shebi the government owned institutions are there! Please I am not complaining oh! It's just that sometimes, I wonder why the schools task us parents so much, even when they know that we go out everyday to look for money to pay them.

One's own irresponsibility looms large and painful. At this time of year the full secret ambitions of the maternal tribe are laid bare. I've met some moms who make those wretched Tiger moms look like softies, videoing every performance in the year-end concert. Worse still, they probably do watch it afterwards and draw up a league table. 

This year, inspiration struck. As soon as the term is over, we will pack the high-octane sons off to an Igbo and French language classes, where someone who isn't us will have the delight of occupying them for 6 hours a day. Easy-peasy. That should fit nicely into the holiday jollyment slot in the week.

I asked one of the heads at an Emerald School fifth form what they do for end of term. A puzzled smile descended. "We give them a certificate and send them home," he replied. The school run to Ifako suddenly sounds quite tempting. scheeeeeeeew! What about you, do you prefer your kids at home or just like me you are recognizing the natural antithesis and not liking End of school Term.