It's hard to believe that two years have passed since my eldest son started school. It really has flown by, and next week he will leave the infant class years behind him. Those early drawings of the family with sticks for legs and tree-branches for arms, those carefully traced letters and terribly important news reports of friends going swimming at the weekend will be filed away in the 'Junior and Senior Infants' folder, with a new 'First Class' folder on standby.

But, I am not saying goodbye to infant classes, because my youngest son starts school this September and we start all over again. 

It's funny how most people assume that second time around is easier. Of course, the routine is more familiar, the school itself is more familiar and the steady stream of notes sent home in the schoolbag is more familiar - but in many ways, second time around feels harder. For me, as this is my last child to start school, the first day back after the summer holidays will be particularly poignant and I suspect that, more so than I did with the first of my children starting school, I may have to hold back the tears this time around.

Because this really is a milestone. Somehow, despite all those 'challenging' days and sleepless nights and moments of parenting insanity, we have managed to get to the stage where both our children will be at school. OK, they're not exactly heading off on a gap year to the jungles of Borneo, but still, those few extra hours with them both away from home will make a significant difference. 
Yes, I'm looking forward to having more time to do some work and yes, it's great to have that little bit more flexibility, but there is no escaping the fact that my babies are growing up far too quickly.

So, when I'm tearing my hair out over the next two months and have run out of patience and ideas for keeping the kids entertained, I will try to remember that 'Back to School' looms and that I really do only have them for a short time before they will be off, running into the schoolyard, heading out for play dates and after school activities and I will barely have time to shove some food into them and read a story before they go to bed.

Second time around may be more familiar, but it doesn't make it any less significant.

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