#BacktoSchool AKA Thank God They're Gone

It was early one morning that I woke up, went online and couldn't get back to sleep. I came across this wonderful little article that just made my dreams fade: 10+ Hilarious Pics Of Kids Before & After Their First Day Of School
Perhaps you're in a hurry, so I'll give you the quick run-down of things. What caught my eye was the cover photo for the “article”:

And I thought to myself 'That pic is not hilarious. It's sad. It's frightening. It's abusive.'

Take a moment to look into the eyes of the little girl, please. Does that look like the face of a happy, at peace kid? Not to me. She's tired. You can see in her eyes that things are looking pretty bleak.
And I don't think that's normal, I don't think anyone should have that desperate look on their face, especially not a child. If you take the time to scroll through the pictures (I did), you'll find an entire palette of emotions in the eyes of the children.
Tired.
Desperate.
Sad.
Confused.
Sick.
Terrified.
These are words you would use to describe a prisoner. Someone who slaves away in a mine. It shouldn't be how you describe a child, yet it is, because that's what children are, today. Prisoners. They are forced to spend hours upon hours at their 'mini-job', school. All the kids in the article seem to be silently asking 'why?'.

I remember it's a question I'd often ask, as a child, albeit a couple of years older than them, before going to school. I still recall those years with mixed feelings. Waking up in the morning, tired as hell, being driven to school while only half-awake and forced to sit hours in a chair and listen. Like a good little girl. Not allowed to talk, not allowed to draw (or express myself creatively in any other way), not allowed to look out the window.
Funny, now that I think about it, even prisoners, in their cells, have little windows. Have to admit they are barred. Hmmm perhaps they were afraid I'd try to escape?

As if the article itself wasn't bad enough, I then got to the 'Comments' section. Let me read you a few.
“Hahahahahahaha my son looked like death ran him over twice after his first day of kindergarten” - Now I don't know about you, but if I saw my child looking like that, tired and despondent, I don't think I'd “Hahahahahaha”.
“My two kids jumped out of bed on the first day of school! Second day, they had to be pulled out of the bed!!! :-D” - Please notice the smiley face at the end.
“It doesn't get better, kids.” - Maybe you can live a fulfilling life, where your hobby is also your job and you're happy. Maybe not. Still, is that a lesson kids need to learn at the age of 5?
And my all-time favorite: “Welcome to hard reality of life...” - Sounds small, pesky, vindictive. If your parents are unhappy, then you should suffer too? Really? What happened to telling kids they could be anything they want?

I found the article on Facebook. Later that day, I saw a picture of a tortured kitten. The reactions and comments were 'sad', 'angry' 'that's inhumane/cruel/disgusting'. The reactions to the first post, the one about the kids, were all 'HAHA' 'LOL'. They're both basically about suffering, at least to me, I don't understand....

Speaking of parents and their oddities, this isn't the only article that caught my eye. In the ever-popular Dailymail, I came across another wonderful bit of journalism: BackToSchool! Ecstatic parents post hilarious memes to celebrate end of the summer holidays

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Since when have your own children become such a burden? Furthermore, might I ask why you became parents if spending time with children is such an annoyance? Please don't tell me it was for the cute outfits.

The general idea here seems to be that it's odd to be sad your kids are going back to school. 'Back to the grind' I see is popular among teachers, although to me, it seems perfectly accurate for children as well.
It's weird to feel bad that you will barely see your children in the next months, that they are going back to spending hours behind a desk, being told what to do, meeting deadlines, being punished for not keeping up. (By the way, sound familiar?)
If you read such articles or listen to these parents, it's quite clear they're glad to be rid of their children, to have the house to themselves.

I know this will seem like bragging, but I actually have a mom who likes being around me and my brother. We have things in common, things to talk about, activities we all enjoy. I don't regard spending time with my family as a nuisance, an inconvenience. I like to think it's mutual. And I've always thought of this as normal. It's only now that I realize how lucky I am.
Lucky that my family enjoy spending time with me.
Lucky that my mom listened (and sympathized) to me when I told her I wasn't happy at school, instead of LOL-ing about it on social media.
Lucky that she let me leave school in order for my soul to survive.

Happy #backtoschool (?)