Schools out......

Now I like to be organised and to get ahead with things if I can, but I'm beginning to wonder if the world is on fast forward. The retail world definitely seems to be.

A few days ago, the little son and I headed off to Sainsbury's to stock up on holiday clothes for him. There we were happily pottering amongst the flip flops and swimming trunks when a perky voice announced over the tannoy that everyone should hurry to the TU clothing department without delay because the new school uniforms were in stock.
'Everything you need for back to school,' she proclaimed, or words to that effect. WHAT????

The poor kids hadn't even broken up for the summer holidays and the retailers were already wanting us to be thinking about September and the new school term. Surely we should have been walking in and hearing Alice Cooper's 'Schools out' blaring out over the sound system rather than being persuaded to start stocking up on new rulers and PE shorts?

The last thing son number two, who's 10, wanted to be doing was trying on V neck woolly pullovers and school trousers and thinking about moving up into year six. At the age of 10, six weeks is an eternity, the summer holidays stretch ahead and going back to school is a thought on the dim, distant horizon, and it shouldn't be any other way.

The summer holidays should be a time of total freedom - long, leisurely (hopefully, sun-drenched, hot but hey, this is Britain) days doing whatever you want, day after endless day of time spent having fun and just enjoying being a kid.

I have to admit I had one of those grumpy old women moments. Harumphing to myself, I shot upright from the flip flops and announced loudly to no-one in particular, (much to the surprise of the couple passing with a laden trolley) 'For heaven's sake, the schools haven't even broken up yet, this is ridiculous.'

I was all for marching to the customer services desk and giving the manager a flea in his or her ear but son number two vetoed the idea as being just too embarrassing.

My son's school finally broke up for the summer today and the holidays have begun. I know, without a doubt, that when we return from France at the end of August, the Christmas cards will be on the shelves in the supermarkets.

And I'll be the mother rushing around frantically the day before school starts on September 1 getting new uniforms and school kit - which is exactly how it should be.