Black Hole -- A General Rant on Life

Alright, so it's only been the first week and not even a full week and I'm already whining. Oh. My. God. We've had soccer sign ups, parent volunteer program letters, potluck assignments for the Back to School picnic and, this is the kicker, a FUNDRAISER. In the first week? Really? I get that whenever possible our pockets will be politely fleeced for the greater good of the kids but so soon? Shouldn't we be allowed to hold on to our delusions that all that is required, beyond tuition, is our child's attendance . . . at least for a week or two? 

Ok, I'm not actually serious about that last statement. I get and look forward to how involved we will need to be as parents in our child's education. What I resist is the apparently global acceptance of the "intensive parenting" concept -- broadly defined by little ol' me as over scheduling children with extracurriculars and social activities to the detriment of learning how to self-entertain, enjoy the simple things in life and appreciate and participate in family activities. Now, I don't feel as if my family is in danger as of yet . . . but how long will it be before telling my child "no" to another sport or class or club will be perceived as, oh I don't know, NEGLECTFUL! 

This is where the black hole comes in . . . the ever increasing demands of parenting, household management, spouse maintenance and every other type of maintenance feels like a cosmic vortex ready to suck me into the unknown. I think that if I meet another parent who extols the virtues of dragging themselves and their children to 16 different after school activities in a single week, I'll puke or leave the room shrieking! Doing more stuff and having more things does not a happy and healthy family make. 

What the hell am I rambling about? I think that Big D's starting school has made me realize how much more difficult it is going to be to hold my ground when it comes to family -- how we spend our time, what we value and the tradition/rituals we create. I'm also a little afraid that the pace will continue to accelerate and one day, Big D will be all grown up and leaving home and I'll be panting, catching my breath and wondering what happened.