Progress

It has just dawned on me how being in the system relieved me unwittingly of the need to follow and really track the children's progress once they were in pre-school and primary school.

I trusted the schools completely. I assumed they knew better. I felt as if I were expected to leave them to it. I assumed I should pay attention to going back to some sort of work and no longer be primarily a mother. So I took my eye right off the ball. I tried to develop myself...train for other activities, when my primary activity was right under my nose.

Now I realise that tracking how each child is doing healthwise, academically and in other ways is just part and parcel of parenting. I cannot pass the buck to a school, even if the system assumes that I must. Nor can I assume that paying taxes or fees means that all issues are automatically dealt with. It would be nice and most issues are covered, but with the best will in the world the parent still has to step in as soon as there is a problem.

Caveat emptor (buyer beware) simply means keep your head screwed on in *all* aspects of your life.

Maybe one day I will be able to do the parenting bit with ease and have brain space to do other things too, but I'm not there yet and can't afford to drop the spinning plates that are children.