AS PARENTS across the region prepare their children’s uniforms and supplies for the 2018 school year, one family is doing all that times four.
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The four Owens children will all be attending the same school for the first time, as the littlest member of the family prepares to start Kindergarten.
Mum Kristen Owens said having Xavier (11), Jocelyn (9), Quentin (6) and Felicity (5) all in school would probably add just that much more chaos to the household, but they were excited.
They will attend Carinya Christian School, all starting on Monday.
With two working parents – Mrs Owens owns and operates Angelbub Maternity Wear and dad Llewellyn is an engineer – she said it would be “a big challenge”.
“I’m going back to work full-time for the first time since having kids, and it’ll be such a juggle getting yourself ready, the kids ready, doing the school pick-up around work hours,” Mrs Owens said.
When asked to describe what she thought the family’s average morning would be, she said: “chaos”.
“The kids have to be on the bus at 10 past 8, and I leave as soon as the bus goes,” she said.
“Our mornings are really busy, and there’s a lot of chaos and mess – that we deal with in the afternoon.”
Production line
Felicity has been in Carinya’s preschool program three days a week, and Mrs Owens said she had a nightly production line to prepare all the kids for the next school day.
“I don’t always follow my own rules, but it’s always easier when you have uniforms and lunchboxes organised the night before,” she said.
“We also double-check and triple-check bags on the way out, because you can guarantee that when they get to the bus, they will have forgotten a hat or a drink bottle or that homework they were supposed to have done last night.”
Mrs Owens said Felicity was “really excited” to be starting Big School, and there were quite a few benefits to having multiple children at the same school.
“They look out for each other in the mornings and afternoons, which is good … and they’re very quick to report to me if one of them’s getting up to any mischief,” Mrs Owens said
“They do look out for each other; as much as they like to pick on each other, no one else is allowed to.”
End of an era, start of another
Mrs Owens said her emotions were divided, seeing her last child off to school.
“I’m actually torn between excited and sad to see the end of an era, because finally I’ll have all the kids at school and my days are now my own again, as far as work’s concerned.
“But at same time, I don’t have any babies anymore; they’re growing up and it’s the next stage in our lives.”
She said the family would mark the occasion with photos in school uniform on the first day.
Carolyn Millet
Based at The Northern Daily Leader, Tamworth, and Namoi Valley Independent, Gunnedah. Covering general news and features on community, council, arts, business, health, education, entertainment and rural matters.
Based at The Northern Daily Leader, Tamworth, and Namoi Valley Independent, Gunnedah. Covering general news and features on community, council, arts, business, health, education, entertainment and rural matters.
