INDIANAPOLIS – With around two weeks to go until the start of school, Indiana mom Annette Nichols is anxiously getting her 6-year-old son ready for his first day of what will ultimately be no more fun.
Enrolling him in classes at Brookside Elementary School in Indianapolis, Nichols, 37, has already accompanied her son, Evan, to a Back to School festival in an effort to teach him that his days of unbridled playtime are set to become increasingly rare as he gets older.
“It’s very important that Evan is not just thrown in at the deep end,” said Nichols, herself a teacher.
RIGHT: A mother sends her young son off to school. (CLICK TO ENLARGE)
“He has to learn that the carefree, toy-filled world he has enjoyed since birth will soon be replaced by laborious amounts of homework and an endless myriad of standardized tests.”
“It’s hard telling your only son that Spiderman will eventually cease to be the center of his universe,” she continued. “But from the moment he steps foot in Brookside, he has to know that disciplined studying and excellent grades take precedent over the hours he currently spends having fun.”
Warning Evan that the rest of his life will likely amount to little more than a continuous stream of regimented graft and thankless chores, Nichols has been secretly confiscating her son’s adorable collection of Thomas The Tank Engine coloring books.
As a mother who just sent my son off to school, I can see both sides of this… but the truth is, I really, really need the quiet time. Sorry sonny!
It’s not just the start of school, it’s every year of school. Every year brings less recess and more homework, right up until you graduate college, and discover that a job actually sucks more than getting an education.