School Mums

Since Lily and her 'entourage' moved into our house, our daily routines have changed a bit.

We try to accomodate and help out whenever we can in order to ease her workload, which means that I often voluntarily fetch the ''kiddo's" who are under her care from school (between 12.30 and 1pm).
I reach the school gates at around 1pm, just before the bell goes off and it always amazes me that there is really such a being as 'school mum'. Sure enough, I've heard about 'soccer mums', 'tennis mums', 'music class mums'......but these are mums who accompany their kids to their leisure activities. But 'school mums'? Heck.

Well, the routine of these 'mums' is generally the following :

1. fetch their kids to school in the morning and before class starts, coach them with their spelling, homework in the canteen




2. afterwards perform chores like buying fresh food at the market or performing home duties




3. cook lunch and package it in a lunch box and basket




4. go back to school and set up the 'lunch' table at the canteen together with likeminded 'school' mums




5. diligently wait for the bell to ring and announce it is lunch time




6. give their kids their lunch, and if need be, feed the rascalls themselves




7. pack things up and go back home and perform daily chores (there are even mums who just stay at school after lunch, and bite their time with gossiping till school finishes......geezes, aunties!!)




8. go back to school to pick their kids up when school finishes




9. *and I'm pretty sure that most of them have tuition few times a week, so ofcourse 'dear mummy' will drive them from here to there and vice versa*

I'm pretty sure you can find this 'scene' all over the world, mums tending to their kid's needs, especially ladies who either have given up a career to take care of the 'household' or even ladies who don't know any better and have been 'house wives' all life long.

Many of these mums I've seen are only in their twenties, majority in their thirties and even a few late bloomers. Now from a twenty-year old mum I would expect that she would know that there is a life besides 'household'.....like having a 'career', duh, 'cos she would have been born in the 70's or even 80's, and those are not the years of back dated, old fashionisnm, are they?

Do these children realize what their respective mums are going through day in, day out? Would they appreciate this kind of perpetual attention from their mum at home and also at school, which means in effect they are only 'free' from their mum during class. Moreover, are these kids being spoiled for better or worse with all this 'pampering' and will it have an effect on their social attitude when they grow up?

Hey, I don't want to sound negative towards these kinda 'mums' because they should deserve some kudos for giving up on a 'career' and devoting themselves to their offspring. 'Career mums' should take note of these 'school mums' .

It's a compromise, ladies.....juggle with daily chores, love thy dearest and enjoy your own life.