Nina In New York: Back To School Blues (Seriously, I'm Very Sad, I Swear)

A lighthearted look at news, events, culture and everyday life in New York. The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.
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By Nina Pajak

Happy New Year, everybody! Vacation is great, isn't it? There was so much to do! We played indoors and out, and we celebrated the holidays with family and friends. We visited a children's museum along with roughly every single other child who resides in or near my borough. We played some more, too. And we also . . . uh . . . oh, we ate! We ate a lot. Then we, um. Did I say playground? Yeah, I kind of did. Did I say played with toys? What about played with Play-Doh? Okay, then, we also . . . hm. Well, huh. I guess I took some naps? Those were good. I think we colored for a couple of minutes one day. And then . . . What's that, daughter? You want to know what we're doing next? Gee . . . how about we . . . ?

Oh, will ya look at the time! Back to school already? Boy, did that fly by. All that playing and eating and engaging in daily hygiene rituals really make you lose track of the hours upon hours (upon hours) of unscheduled time at home with a darling two-and-a-half-year-old. It's been so exciting, and I hate to get back to the grind but hey, them's the breaks amirite? The inexorable march of time stops for no man, woman, or child who can somehow cycle through three days' worth of activities in ten minutes. Yeah sweetie, I'll be sad to say goodbye too, it's been such fun and I'll miss you here get your coat on while we're talking, okay?

Of course daddy will miss us! I don't want him to go back to work, either. He'll probably spend all day thinking about us and staring at the clock. He definitely won't be catching up with coworkers, deriving satisfaction from clearing out his inbox and putting his brain to use for the first time in two weeks, or sitting quietly and eating a sandwich alone in his office with no one there to ask him to dismantle it and share only the tomato and the cheese. I agree, baby. I wish he could change your diaper instead of me, too. Hey, wanna call him to tell him how you wish he could be here to change you? Let's do that! Huh. No answer. Weird. Well, we'll try again later.

Oh, of course you want to go to school! School is fun! Your friends are there! You learn things in an environment that is safe and warm and loving and secure in such a way that allows mommy to drink an entire cup of coffee before it gets cold and maybe even get her legs waxed or something. That's so special. You're special. I love you too, honey, don't forget your hat.

I'll see you in a few hours, okay? You'll do great. Oh, me? Probably nothing. I'll probably just run some really boring errands throughout which you would normally scream, and then maybe I'll clean up around the house a bit before coming back to pick you up. I definitely won't sit in silence and enjoy being alone for any period of time. I likely won't aimlessly pop into a couple of stores and slowly peruse things I don't need. I'm certain I won't take a few minutes to complete the crossword puzzle without your "help" in drawing all over it for me. It'll be dull, that's for certain. Nothing beats a staycation with your children when your full-time occupation is to be home and care for your children. But, I'll keep my chin up if you will, too.

I love you lots, kiddo. Today is going to be rough, but I promise we'll both feel a lot better very, very soon.

Nina Pajak is a writer living with her husband, daughter and dog in Queens. Connect with Nina on Twitter!