Finally

I've never been one of those Moms who couldn't wait for school to start again after summer vacation. I was one of the sappy ones who always felt sort of sad when summer ended, and the craziness of another school year was upon us. That is, until this year. No crazy school and activity-related schedule could compete with the completely insane last 10 days of our lives here in Nashville. It is one thing to get three kids settled into school (including one starting a new and very demanding school), but it is another thing entirely to do that while trying to move back from overseas, receiving multiple shipments of stuff from all over the place, and, to top it off, moving into a rental house. Add 100+ degree days to the equation, and you have the perfect recipe for a very trying and stress-inducing situation. So, it is something of a relief that the kids are finally in school for 7 hours a day.

But, enough about that. For purposes of this blog, I want to focus on some of the differences between our life in Belgrade and our life here, and this seems like a perfect place to talk about some of those things. Now perhaps my blood pressure has been exacerbated by the move, etc., but can I just say that the beginning of the school year in the American school system is a highly stressful time for a family? The kids have to have the right clothes (we have something called "standard school attire" here in our school district, which is sort of like, but not quite, a uniform). They must have their school supplies (a lengthy list of required items goes home along with tons of other papers in a folder ever so sweetly referred to as the "1st day folder") by the 2nd or 3rd day of school. There are about 2 million forms to fill out for each kid. They have to have their immunization forms, and the schools must have proof of residency. They need their lunch money. One of mine had a bunch of summer reading to do and projects on top of that (all of which had to be completed by the first day of school). At some schools (including the school my oldest is attending), athletic teams begin practicing a week or two before school starts, meaning that kids have to be at school, at a certain time, wearing particular items, including expensive shoes, etc. (which, of course, necessitates multiple shopping trips the week before school starts). There are coffees and orientations and meet the teacher nights and so many pieces of paper to read and rules to know about (honor code, dress code, attendance rules, drop off/pick up procedures, and the list goes on...) that anyone's head would start to spin just thinking about it. In short, it is a nightmare, and I'm convinced that between all of this stress, and the bad processed food that so many Americans shove into their mouths on a daily basis, we have some very good clues as to why we have the healthcare crisis in the U.S. that we hear about 24/7. But, I digress.

Change scenes. Belgrade, Serbia, August 2009. Now, I know that our lives were unusually cushy over there, and that our Embassy affiliation set us apart from the way that the average Serbian family lives. However, I am guessing that even the Serbs had nowhere near the stress level that we Americans have at the beginning of the school year. Our kids attended two different international schools in Belgrade (two at one, one at the other). Neither school had a dress code, so no special clothes were required. Neither required families to purchase school supplies. School started at 8:10, but we were walking distance from one school and a short 5-minute ride from the other, so the morning routine was immensely more relaxed than it is here, where we're all up before the sun comes up, and scurrying around to get out the door in time to fight the traffic and get everyone to school. Athletics and after-school activities mostly took place at the schools, and didn't begin until 3-4 weeks after school started, which frankly allowed everyone to get into a routine and focus on school before starting to think about adding other things to the agenda. Music teachers (we had a guitar teacher, but other friends had piano teachers) made house calls. There was very little driving around in the afternoon and evenings (save for soccer twice a week). The kids were able to come home after school, have a snack, and then play outside (gasp!), do homework or relax (gasp again!). There were a few forms to fill out and there was an orientation night at the school, but it came several weeks after school started, and by then, we'd had a chance to catch our breath. In short, it was a perfectly reasonable, sane experience, and one which I deeply miss.

Now, I'm not saying that one system is necessarily better than the other. What I am saying, though, is that I believe that as a society, we place too many demands on ourselves and others, and, consequently, end up running around like chickens with our heads cut off. We also end up with high blood pressure, headaches, ulcers, or other medical problems. I really do believe this. Maybe I'll settle down in a few weeks and come to my senses, but I doubt it. I will, however, do my best to maintain balance for our little family, although I know that it will be hard to do in this society where more -- quite unwisely in my view -- always seems to be better.

Happy Thursday.