Kid Overload: When, Exactly, Do They Go Back To School?

Don't get me wrong. I'm lucky to have two kids, two healthy, reasonably well-adjusted kids.

And there was much fun had over the long Thanksgiving break: in-car punchy goofiness on the long rides to and from the Bay Area, watching them interact with aunt, uncle, and cousin -- my niece, who gets props for being chief hairdresser for the girl and clothes dresser for both girl and boy, as well as bath giver, book reader and breakfast server.

But by Saturday night, the holiday had grown a bit old and stale.
By Sunday morning, back at home, Late Blooming Dad was at wit's end -- justifiably -- as the fits and need for him to be referee increased. Late Blooming Mom scrubbed the usual nap in hopes they'd be abed earlier tonight. My scheme was to take them to a movie at nap time, and it pretty well worked -- they stayed awake for the whole forgettable thing (PLANET 51, in case anyone can yet avoid wasting time and money on it), thanks to popcorn and a cinnamon sugar-dusted pretzel. But by late afternoon/early evening, they were rather cranky and nightmarish, and getting through dinner at the mall outside the cineplex was an ordeal for all of us, including dad, who had met us after an all-too-brief respite from kid-wrangling after he'd dropped us at the film.

Yes, they did mercifully nod off before -- brace yourselves, this one may be a record for the year -- 8pm. 7:45, to be precise. But the price we paid might not have been worth it. Crabby times two -- well, four if you count we two parents -- is exponentially greater than its sum would indicate.

So to all the parents who won't admit it, but want to, I'll say it out loud. I'm not proud. I can't WAIT for my kids to go back to school tomorrow.

Anyone up for babysitting over Christmas break?