What January asks of parents

JANUARY doesn’t ease its way into our homes - it announces itself.

- RUBENE RAMDAS

It arrives with lists, deadlines, alarms and that quiet panic that says: “Right, let’s get serious again.”The rat race has officially started again — traffic thickens, school WhatsApp groups come alive, and conversations shift from what's left in the pot to what time do we need to leave?

One minute the house is running on holiday time — late mornings, flexible meals and “we'll sort it out later” - and the next, everyone needs to be somewhere, with something, at a specific time.

For parents, January is not a fresh start. It’s a regroup.

Many households are juggling more than one transition at once. Some children are starting school for the first time, others are stepping into high school, and some are facing Grade 12, suddenly aware that their schooling journey is nearing its end.

Some are preparing young adults for another year of university — all under the same roof.

University brings a different kind of adjustment. Our children are technically adults — independent, capable and finding their own rhythm. Until registration opens, accommodation needs confirming, or the WiFi stops working.