Now our children are back at school after lockdown, didn’t they do well? – Hayley Matthews

Do you know that feeling when you’ve been on holiday, come back and feel like you’ve never been away? Well that’s how I reckon the kids must have been feeling this week.

After nearly six months off in the pandemic, the return to school must take some adjustment (Picture: John Devlin)

Imagine having nearly six months off school when you were younger! Almost forgetting everything that’s familiar about it, the smell of the classroom, the teachers’ faces and the sound of the bell. It must feel like an age since the kids have been in that setting. Yet, going back after months and months, I bet it won’t take long for them to re-establish everything about school life. They’ll all feel like they’ve never been away from school by the time Monday comes.

It’s the same feeling after coming back off maternity leave or a really long holiday. Yup, it sucks! I can only imagine what they are going through. It must be tough and they’re still all so wee and totty – even the high school kids. They need reassurance from their parents and guardians no matter what the age and I have to keep reminding myself of that.

I thought everything was going so well when my son came back after his first day at school during the week. He was ecstatic as he burst through the door to tell me all about it and was happy that I’d suggested taking in chocolate for his new teacher, you know, as a thank you for everything the teachers have done recently.

He was excited about his new class, the new(ish) friends and the girl that he’d been sat beside who when he talks about, I see a wee glint in his eye and his cheeks flush a bright pink. It’s adorable to see and oh how he’s needed this normality back in his life. We all have.

I kicked back at night with a glass of fizz and a smug feeling that we’d cracked it, but oh how I’d been premature! The next again day, tiredness set in and we had a bit of a wobble.

There must have been so much that his wee brain had been soaking up on the first day and then, add in all the confusion of the last few months and wow! We had a massive wobble. Lots of tears in the morning, accompanied by some extremely cheeky chat and all topped off with some passive aggressive sarcasm (the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree as they say and I only have myself to blame for that one).

He also seemed so tired. I have to keep reminding myself that they’ve just had nearly six months off school so the first few days back must surely be the hardest. I can’t begin to imagine how I would have handled the situation as a kid, I would have been a wee rocket!

I was a rocket anyway, being told I had the second worst attendance (skiving was my forte at high school) and that I was close to being turfed out probably was probably among my finest moments at school.

But seriously, aren’t our kids doing well? We shouldn’t take it for granted and should be encouraging them, giving them praise and telling them how this is a ‘unique’ experience and we’re all still learning to adapt. That doesn’t mean they don’t get a telling off when they’re cheeky to us, but let’s keep them strong and supported and tell them that they’ve got this and that we have their backs. So to all the kids no matter what age – well done for getting through this. We elders wouldn’t have coped so well.