For some reason, I often have bizarre and very detailed dreams during the weeks leading up to a new school year. I don’t remember if I had them when I was in school, but I certainly have them now that my oldest, C., is.
This year was no different. One in particular that stands out to me occurred about one week before he was to start school. It went something like this:
C. comes home from school, throws his backpack on the floor and takes off to play. Naturally, I call him back into the room, instruct him to hang up the backpack and ask him how much homework he has. “I have homework in four subjects, and it would take about five hours, but I’m not doing it.” He talks with major attitude, then stomps off.Immediately, my dream-self starts panicking, wild thoughts all jumbled together. What?! Five hours’ worth of homework? On the first day? What is his teacher thinking? And what’s with C.’s attitude? How will I get him to finish all this homework?
Dream-Me practically drags C. back into the room and then spends what feels like an hour begging, cajoling, threatening, punishing, encouraging…trying any tactic I can come up with to make him do homework. In the end, he agrees to do homework in one subject, but draws the line there. In the dream, I feel completely stressed out. I have this overwhelming feeling that the homework absolutely must get done or there will be dire consequences for all; at the same time, I feel utterly defeated by my own 9-year-old, unable to convince him that he has to do it. The dream goes on and on, with me looking for a solution and C. refusing to budge.
Finally, finally, I wake up.
Fortunately, with one week of school under our belts, this dream has not come true at all. C. has had homework, and quite a bit of it on a few nights. But never five hours’ worth. And there has been no refusal on his part to complete it.
The dream amuses me now because it felt so very intense and important and real and insurmountable (not to mention long). But it was extremely unlikely. C.’s a good kid, and though he’s been known to get a little stressed by homework, he never flat-out refuses to do it. And even if he did, we have pretty decent discipline methods that would surely prompt him in the right direction. Or we’d just let him take responsibility and accept the teacher’s consequences, whatever they may be.
Yet in the dream, it felt like everything was up to me and I just couldn’t do it.
Dream interpreters would probably have plenty to say about my dream. I’m sure it reflected my reluctance to get back into the “homework routine,” but no doubt it also speaks of the little bit of control-freak in me, or perhaps even my feelings of parental inadequacy.
Who knows? All I know is that I’m glad it was just a dream and that reality has proven to be a much smoother ride.
Yeah, probably reluctance and fear. I know that I have been wondering how this new year is going to affect us. They’ve told us that she’ll have more homework (and since they just started assigning homework this week, I’ve seen it). She’s also starting trumpet, which will require practice.
The one great thing is that she’s home an hour earlier, and even with school starting back up, she’s staying up about 30 minutes later, so I think that’s really going to help.
We’ve only had two full days of school and I already am hating the tight structure and routine that we have to comply with. Coupled with my anxiety over leaving the kids with Grandma and Grandpa (who will do great, it’s just me!)while we’re in China and I’m a wreck. I keep thinking of things I might have missed in my 1400 pages of notes I’ve been making.
Haven’t slept more than 5 hours a nite since last week and have been having crazy dreams. Waking up sweaty and breathing hard. Dreamt about a porcupine leading us on a merry chase thru the woods only to hide under a log and turn into a rubbery, plastic toy porcupine complete with rubbery porcupine, ahem, pellets left behind. I don’t have any idea what THAT is all about!
Glad to hear non of that dream manifested in real life for you! :v)
First, I do not like how the continued rat race of our society is bleeding into our kids lives. Why does a kid need 8 hours of school and school work a day?! So, unfortunately, as you know, I would be with “dream C.” in saying “forget 5 hours of homework the teacher can blow that out their ear”.
However, I am thankful that C. is a responsible boy (as responsible as 9 year old boys are) and you are a good and reasonable mom, so things don’t get out of hand. And we can keep me off my “the education system stinks” soap box.
Although L. may be a different story. Maybe I will take some time off and homeschool him. He already knows his ABC’s…a kid that smart doesn’t need school anyway.:-)
PS Callapidderdays does not endorse the opinions of this or any commentator.
I am always so thankful to wake up from similar dreams and realize it WAS a dream!
That would be a very scary dream to me, if I had it. I think I get the school-jitters just as much as my kids, and yes, most of it is because of the rat-race kind of living that ensues. I do agree w/ Chad’s comment, and I often wonder what can I do about it. I think that’s why we home schooled for so long. Calling it bucking the culture I guess. I don’t know which is harder, bucking the culture or being in the rat-race. Hope this school year turns out to be a great one for C., and for you as well.