And along with our back to school preparations I literally have to factor in the time sucked up by anxious, upset, apprehensive and fretful children who are always highly suspicious of, and resistant to, change. We’ve recently had two broken windows punched out in their wild-eyed fear that was manifested by anger. Kids are picking at each other until someone bursts into tears over nothing and I have to settle everything.

Yes, everyone needs structure and routine and the school provides it well.

I have eight boys out on the back deck right now getting haircuts, book bags are being packed and blood pressures are rising all over the house. My preteen girls are driving me nuts over stupid stuff regarding make-up and skanky clothes that I’ve disallowed permanently. “But we’re in middle school now,” they’ve uselessly wailed at me.

And your point?

The younger kids are acting like they’ll get a possessed bus driver who has no clue how to safely navigate the mile and a half to our house, what if their teacher is an ax murderer? Sometimes I just stare, unsure how to answer. We’ve picked up several lunchboxes this summer, in their ongoing paranoia, to ward off any attempts at ptomaine poisoning.

“Are there any more bases y’all want me to cover?” I’d asked, only halfway sarcastically.

I’m a little concerned that my two youngest kids, just now entering school this year, will act out just so they’ll be sent home where they wanted to be in the first place, as does my 20 year old son apparently.

The son pictured here celebrated the last days of last school year by being suspended from school, missing out on the end-of-the-year parties and festivities. He’s terribly unthrilled at the thought of attending school once again. Slowly being diagnosed with some suspicions of Pervasive Developmental Disorder, in the Autistic Spectrum, he’s very difficult to reason with or to make a sensible conversation with regarding, I don’t know, anything.

This upcoming school year promises to again be quite the challenge for my rowdy group of children.