School's Out

The recent conversations about the kids have revolved around how fast they are growing. They’re now clambering all over the place, getting into all sorts of high jinks, trying to walk even though they sway like trees in the wind. Well, you can’t quite fault them from trying. Anyway, the both of them, especially Evan, have got 2 modes. Sleeping and Up And About- walking, crawling. There is no in between. No sitting still.

The result of that is that I have very exhausted caregivers. When I’m home with them the whole day, I feel like I need a vacation away from them, just so that I can sleep and recover. My mother-in-law often wonders out loud where their little bodies store SO much energy while we adults are drooping in exhaustion and aching from bending over to hold their arms as they toddle about. This has led to Packrat and I discussing the possibility of dumping them in playschool for a couple of mornings a week next year. It’s not so much that we feel like they need to get ahead or are losing out if they don’t. It’s more, so that we get them out of the house and everyone can breathe easy for a little while. I do hesitate though. I know that’s where they get all sorts of strange germs from. And the current outbreak of Hand Foot and Mouth doesn’t make me feel any more assured. I’ve also been told that they don’t really need that sort of opportunity to socialize since there are the two of them. But I’ve also been told that twins can be rather insular, having a playmate in their sibling and therefore not seeing the need to expand their socialization skills beyond the other twin. I’ve also heard and read about how they can often develop their own language. No doubt, the Nazis in my life will harp on the fact that it’s a waste of money, I can take them to the park, I can just let them hang out with their cousins and it’s all a scam to swindle gullible mothers like me. Well, to them, I say, you try managing two squirmy toddlers-to-be day in day out and see if you want to throw money at someone to do it for you.

Of course, the money part is where it gets sensitive. Everyone’s so thrilled about us having twins. Truth be told, I love the fact that I have the both of them and I cannot imagine just having only one of them at a time. But the reality is that they are extremely expensive. I work through diapers twice as fast and I’m resisting weaning them off breast milk because of the amount of money I save from not needing to buy them a tin of formula every week. And sending them to school, at the same time will be expensive even if I get some sort of discount. To make matters worse, it seems like the younger you fob your kids off, the more they charge you. My brother is not the only person that’s breathed a sigh of relief when his children hit the age where they could get into primary school. So, play school is expensive. Sometimes inhibitively so. I found one play school, a Montesorri no less, that was charging TWO THOUSAND bucks per term.

There was absolutely no way I was going to send the twins there. Not only could I not afford it. I was not sending my kids somewhere which had, as their mission or whatever, ‘they start as privates and leave generals’. It’s the epitome of taking themselves far too seriously and I’m not all that serious. I remark to Ru about the exorbitant fees here and her response is that it’s worse in the UK where she is. 2 grand is chopped liver there. That’s when my world starts spinning and I wonder about the wisdom of all this.

There is also the other issue of how playschools have wait lists that you absolutely have to be on the minute the tykes are conceived. I’m apparently a bit late in putting my children on the wait list for a church kinder near home. I'm told for pre-nursery, I will be No. 67 on the wait list for the morning session if I put them on, TODAY and No. 33 on the afternoon session wait list. Incredible. And not in a good way.

So, obediently, I shall put them on the wait list and pray that by 2010, 66 people have dropped out. Even I don’t plan so far ahead of time.

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