The Dog Ate My Homework

Finally giving my kid the boot out of the house and sending him to Kindergarten was a joyous moment. I had wild, exotic dreams about what I would do with all of my free time like cleaning the dishes, putting away laundry and getting errands done in under three hours.

But Kindergarten had a different idea for me. Homework! Are you kidding me? Homework — but not for my son. For me!

The Secret Society of Parents only passes on information on a need-to-know basis. Apparently, they didn’t feel like mentioning the truck loads of paperwork that would appear in my son’s backpack.

You know that form they sent home. Fill it out even if your kid doesn’t ride the bus. Sign the second approval form for the field trip. And how about another form stating you can’t host the field trip. Oh yeah. And even though you let them know about any food allergies, fill out an allergy form for the field trip. It’s like a second job.

And so, I enter yet another circle of parenthood as the piles of paperwork grow on my desk. Can I just tell them the dog ate my homework?

MOUTH OFF: What is the most shocking thing for you as a parent as your kids go back to school?