It is 4am. I seem to have forgotten how to sleep. There is too much stuff going on in my head. I can’t seem to get things in any order, let alone prioritise things.
HOWEVER. I have done the best thing that I could possibly do under the circumstances and booked flights for myself and my two younger children on a plane bound for a long, long, long way away for Easter. I deliberated for ages. But, in the end decided thanks to my trusty old “OFI*” card that emerges in my hour of need, I paid for the tickets and now that is that. I’m going.
I’m excited and a little anxious. It is very disappointing that I can’t take my oldest child. He has a week of work experience with my brother arranged and exams to revise for. He of course doesn’t give a shit. He is looking forward to an empty house to play in. Which is obviously on my stress list of things to worry about.
I have to write to my youngest child’s school and tell them I’m taking him out a few days early – NO IDEA what to say. They will be cross. I don’t usually do this. I have to go and collect an “Unauthorised Absence” form and fill it in.
Have been lying awake compiling letters in my head. Not sure which one would be best:-
Dear Headmaster,
I am very sorry to inform you that I will be taking my child out of school four days before the Easter holidays. I know that this is not acceptable behaviour but I’m hoping that given the circumstances you will understand. My son has been hugely missing his best friend who has moved to Australia and I have missed my friend too. I am at the end of my tether regarding all the stress involved with my X moving out of our area and in to his new six bedroom house with a swimming pool (albeit with shagging frogs in) and the plans for his upcoming wedding and of late have found there have been lots of other pressures. I seem to be incapable of being in a relationship and am not sure why that is. I think it might be because I am destined to live on my own with lots of cats. My father called me yesterday to give me his opinion of why he thought I was “running around like a headless chicken”. “I can understand why you must be having lots of negative thoughts at the moment ” he started, “I mean your children are shortly going to leave home and you will have nothing much to do after that so you are redefining your future without them which must be challenging and you must have come down to earth with a bump of late after all your glamorous charity fundraising with the Duchess of Cornwall and so on. Your blog isn’t really going anywhere and your work doesn’t bring in any income, so perhaps you should seriously start thinking about getting a proper job”. “HOW BAD DO YOU WANT ME TO FEEL?” I said to him. “NONE” of those things on your list were bothering me until you’ve just mentioned them. So now I’m feeling even more rubbish. I am therefore hoping, given that I now have an increasingly long list of woes that going to the other side of the world might give me some perspective. I look forward to hearing from you, but even if you say no I’m going anyway. Sorry. I’ve booked it.
Kind regards,
L
ps: He will of course be keeping a diary and updating it with photos and pictures every day. It will be very educational and informative and in addition this is important family bonding time.
OR maybe I should go for something a little more simple:-
Dear Headmaster,
I am very sorry to inform you that my son has impetigo and conjunctivitis. He therefore won’t be able to come back to school until after the Easter holidays.
Kind regards,
L
Anybody else got any better suggestions?
* “Oh F*ck It” card
Sarah in Italy
March 24, 2010For family reasons we are obliged to travel on x date and will not be returning until x date. I hereby notify you of (son’s names) absence from school in that period.
I can’t remember the exact amount of time, maybe something like two weeks, but the home education UK lists recently mentioned that there are a number of days per academic year where kids can be absent for reasons other than sickness/appointments etc without any fall out.
Keep it short, simple to the point, go, enjoy to the best of your ability and bear in mind that not all health is of the physical kind. Sometimes we need to get off the treadmill and take time out for wound licking, distraction and battery recharging for the sake of everybody’s well being.
This is NOT less dramatic for your children or yourself than a dose of swine flu or a bad cold. It does not leave anybody in a better state to function than a virus or an infection. Actually I’d rather plough on with a high temp than with a “life minefield”.
I know it is popular for people to believe that both adults and children should just plough ahead like nothing of substance has come along and dropped bombshells all over their lives. But I think that is a load of old bollocks.
Both parent and their children would come out of the wash less knocked for six if we did make it normal to allow some space to hurt and then heal.
Big huge fat hug love
Family Affairs
March 24, 2010Thank you Sarah. You are so right. Wounds need licking and sun helps with drying scabs!! Ha ha. I am SO not a poet Lx
TheMadHouse
March 24, 2010Yep, sarah has so concisly put it much better than my “My children will not be at schoo for the nest four day, Why? Mind your own business!”
Dumdad
March 24, 2010Australia – great country. One day I hope to revisit and take my kids with me too. I’m sure you’ll have a lot of fun in the sun.
Stigmum
March 24, 2010I was up like you last night, but where as you did something useful, I stood in my kitchen having a cigarette and writing notes in a pad in the dark in case I forgot all that internal head editing that won’t stop going on in bed!
Australia! Fantastic!! Four days off school? When do children get the opportunity to go the other side of the world, experience a new culture, taste different food, experience a different natural landscape????? It’ll be an education for your children! An amazing one the school couldn’t give them even through a book. It’s a one off, you’ve not done it before, tell them that! Teachers like the whole education education thing and you, well you get that well deserved, much needed break!! (You could also say you’ll get your kids to write something about it which your kids might not thank you for but might win you some kudos… dunno, just an idea!)
Good luck!
fab feisty and fifty
March 24, 2010well actually all can think of is how you get your hub to pay enough dosh to allow ME to have a holiday….l havent even had my first payment yet …and he doesn’t answer my emails…no contact in 3 weeks +..dying some more inside…not only rejected by being dumped, being the last one to know…but rejection at every turn…ignoring me….so much for being amicable….up his arse!!
sorry not a great day today..
saz x
Eclipse
March 24, 2010Meh, if you’ve never done it before I’m sure the school will be fine with it – it a learning experience anyway! 🙂
Btw I am super jealous, the most exciting thing I’m doing at Easter is cooking lamb for my WMIL (wannabe mother-in-law – wannabe cos we aren’t playing ball and she keeps bugging us about engagements – no way jose!) x
muummmmeeeeee......
March 24, 2010I think either letter should do the trick perfectly!
By the way, your Dad sounds a blast…sounds like you can rely on him to brighten your day!
Lynda
March 24, 2010I can’t believe the English school system sometimes. Over here (Australia) you don’t have to get permission to take your kids out of school for 4 days for heavens sake! Most people try and avoid it of course but whenever it’s for an overseas holiday the response is “they’ll learn heaps and if you have time try and get them to keep a diary”. My sister took her twins out in Year 6 for 8 weeks to go to Europe and the world didn’t cave in! It is discouraged in high school and if you are in the senior years you have to make sure any assessments are done before you go. My youngest went to New Zealand for sport and had to have everything done in advance but there was never any question of him not going. I’m actually a teacher and we just make a notation on the child’s record card when we fill in the term’s absences with a quick comment such as “family holiday” to explain a larger number of absences than normal.
You are coming at a great time of year. Autumn is beautiful here. Where I live we’ve been getting temperatures of about 30C each day. You might find it a bit hot though! Summer is probably less of an option. The occasional 45C day is trying for even us locals !
Jon Storey
March 24, 2010I think the “shagging frogs” bit will be the clincher (no pun intended!) No Headmaster could possibly think that it is unreasonable for to you take your children away from such debauched surroundings!
Anna
March 24, 2010Australia sounds very good. By the way, which bank issues the OFI cards? I think I might need one.
Family Affairs
March 25, 2010I think they all do Lx
Chris
March 25, 2010hi Lulu am at this moment in the Business lounge at Changi with a 5 hr delay from my Qantas flight home, Since the revised flight is 5am one of the few perks has been the wine (naturally) and being able to finally catch up with your blog and since I have just spent a month in Sydney I think the experience of taking your kids to Oz, meeting up with your friends and your youngest seeing his friend again makes it all worth while this life is not a rehearsal. Dont worry about school I tell you as a teacher, when we get those abscence letters we just talk enviously in the staff room and wish we were going too. Chris
Family Affairs
March 25, 2010Oh how brilliant a comment – you’re probably right. I agree that life is not a rehearsal. Just do it. Sorry about your delay but at least you’re in the business lounge and can eat and drink things at leisure Lx
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