First Day of School - Couldn’t Care Less?

[Anonymous]

My two kids, 13 and 11, start school tomorrow. They register absolutely zero excitement. Is this normal now?

I remember being all about my school supplies—organizing them, being jazzed about my sweet colored pencil set or whatever, planning out what I was going to wear. I talked to friends on the phone about who had which teachers, who got assigned to which lunch, etc. All that silly stuff. But it was always a fun time of year and on balance a good memory.

DCs have NONE of this. No interest in like, getting a haircut or a new shirt or anything.

Totally fine with me, and maybe it’s for the best. I just can’t tell if it’s my two kids who are like this, or is it everyone?

Id guess it’s in part because kids now can get pretty much anything they want in 12 hours from Amazon? Going back to school isn’t a big deal when they play Fortnite with their friends all summer?

[Anonymous]

Same here OP. DD starts tomorrow and she has nothing prepared yet.

[Anonymous]

School is a pretty big drag these days, even more so than when we were kids. Especially after elementary.

[Anonymous]

Do you get excited to go back to work after vacation? I know I don't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you get excited to go back to work after vacation? I know I don't.

This.

[Anonymous]

Better this than excite me and then after first week, bummed out. Lower tjose expectations!

[Anonymous]

Mine is complaining but has been preparing an outfit for awhile. She bought it herself so I don’t know what it is. She had me do her hair tonight and wants a morning coffee date.

My older two kids were never excited for start of school but they did do things to prepare. One has executive functioning issues and would spend the weekend before school started getting all of his aids and prompts done and ready. No special outfits though.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, but we are adults, and being an adult and work kind of sucks. These are kids and school shouldn't be so awful that they aren't excited or dread it. The problem is, the older kids get, which at 11 and 13 they aren't really old, adults seem to think that they shouldn't have fun anymore, they are deemed "too old" for fun and kid stuff.

[Anonymous]

My kid is going into 5th grade and is very excited.

[Anonymous]

I loved school, but that was because I didn't have a great home life.

My kids have a great home life. They're not excited about school. Oh well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you get excited to go back to work after vacation? I know I don't.

This is how I felt every year of my childhood. I had friends but wasn’t excited to see them at school and certainly wasn’t excited about school supplies. I remember staying up all night before the first night of school every year because I couldn’t sleep from the dread. It was exactly the same feeling as going back to work after a vacation, except magnified because I was a kid.

One of my kids is like this. The other is like you.

[Anonymous]

Same as above. My kids love their life at home, and during the summer they get to travel, go to enriching camps, and have fun. Of course school is a letdown in comparison. Only thing they look forward to is reconnecting with school friends. It’s sad to me that they don’t get excited about school, but I don’t blame them.

[Anonymous]

They are kind if older so it seems normal not to get excited, right?

[Anonymous]

DS had such a great summer… at the pool, water parks, friends, vacations. He’s dreading tomorrow - says he’s hoping to get sick.

[Anonymous]

13 and 15 year old boys who do very very well in school…and despise it.