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9 Signs It’s Almost The End of the School Year

It’s almost over. Every year, it seems like we fall haphazardly into the month of May as if we were pushed off a speeding train and hurled down a tree-covered hill to get here. We are facing the final weeks of school, war-torn and weary. It will take everything we have to finish strong, even though we feel like we have nothing left to give. But before we can congratulate the kids and pat ourselves on the back for successfully getting them through another year, we still have the final stretch of the end game.

9 Signs that the End of the School Year is Upon Us:

1. Your calendar is filled with schedules and looming deadlines.

How are you going to keep up with this madness? There are forms to complete, deposits to make, gifts to buy, sporting events to attend, and cards to sign. There are end of the year ceremonies, celebrations, and banquets. The thought of managing it all leaves you feeling overwhelmed.

2. Every surface in your house is covered with stuff.

Your kitchen counters and every table you own are piled high with assignments, projects, notebooks, folders, invitations, recommendations, letters, bills, memos, registration forms, permission slips, sign-up sheets, and summer camp pamphlets. Forget using any surface area in your home for doing anything productive (including eating) other than sorting through it all to find whatever crucial piece of paper you need at any given moment.

3. You are late all the time.

Every day is a mad rush, driving all over town trying to get to every event at every location at the designated time, wearing the appropriate attire ,with the correct items and the right kids. The morning routine, once a well-oiled machine, is now rusty and running on empty. The kids are late to school almost every single day at this point. Making it to school on time with breakfast in their bellies and lunch in their backpacks is an incredible, almost impossible, achievement.

4. You never cook, but your kitchen is still a mess.

No need to worry about all that surface space being covered, because you aren’t going to be using it for cooking and eating family meals until sometime this summer. Most of your family’s nourishment will be found in take-out boxes and at drive-through windows. The late-night dining options include cereal, chips, freezer-burned fish sticks, boxed mac-n-cheese, and cans of soup.

5. Your bank balance is non-existent.

The checkbook and debit card come out regularly this time of year, as you’re faced with an endless list of expenses for school activities and sporting events. Then there are teacher gifts, graduation gifts, over-due book fees, and fines for anything your kid can’t seem to find. And don’t forget the summer classes, camps, and trips that all require a deposit.

6. Your kids have no clothes to wear.

Your laundry is piled three-weeks high, the kids have gone through a growth spurt and you don’t have the time or money to do anything about either one. In these final weeks of school, your kids will walk around in clothes that are too small, not-quite-clean, or simply inappropriate for the weather. And you won’t find the motivation to care.

7. Your car is a mess.

At this point, your car is just an extension of your home and it’s in the same sad state of disrepair. It’s in desperate need of a car wash, but that’s the least of your concerns. The interior is loaded with muddy sports equipment, a few stray books, important paperwork stuffed into broken folders, half-eaten snacks, discarded fast food bags, empty water bottles, and 14 sets of unopened plastic cutlery.

8. Everyone is overwhelmed and stressed.

Final projects, final papers, final tests, final grades. Enough said.

9. Your kids are beyond exhausted—and so are you.

The end of the school year emotional roller-coaster wears everyone out. Beyond the busy schedules and end of the year celebrations, we’re excited and sad that another school year is coming to an end. These last weeks of school are messy and maddening, but within the crazy chaos of it all, we are filled with gratitude—and a profound need for a nap.

Christine Carter


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