So, Juno is five and a half.
To get here has been a pretty crazy ride, especially this year. She and I both had iso birthdays. Instead of the outdoor BBQ at the local park for her, we had a small party over Zoom so her extended family could sing her happy birthday. I think it went okay but it’s hard to tell with a five year old.
She liked the cupcakes I made so I’ll take that as a win.
(I made six, they were all individually coloured with pink icing as per her request. There were unicorn cupcake patty tins and unicorn cake decorations. I discovered I really need to get a cupcake tin for baking because mine sprawled. They went out instead of up!)
While we haven’t minded not paying childcare fees, it’s been a tough few months. I feel like I haven’t really measured up as a parent when it comes to meeting Juno’s needs. I think I’ve discovered I’m not a “natural” parent, it doesn’t come easily to me. I’m constantly stumped for ideas to keep her entertained so I quickly give in to her demands to watch TV. I was so glad when it was announced childcare was being reopened for all children because at least that way she would be in the company of other kids again and not in front of the TV.
However, I don’t think anyone was equipped to deal with what we’ve been through this year so we’re definitely not alone in the child watching too much TV stakes.
Anyhoo…. Juno is enrolled at our local primary school for next year. Thankfully it’s got a decent reputation because we totally phased on this and it was well past the official enrolment period before we actually did anything. Ooops. But it’s not like we’ve ever done this before. And the rules say the school must enrol her because it’s the closest to us so we’re all good. Again, it hasn’t been a normal year. At all.
We’re lucky though. We’ve avoided getting sick thus far, Juno is a happy kid who’s growing up so fast. Much to be thankful for.
Yeah, when this happens the photo session is most definitely over.