'Mummy, how come we don't get to spend much time together anymore?'

That's what my seven year old son said to me yesterday. And he was right. Since he started school after several years of home-schooling, there just doesn't seem to be enough time after school or at weekends to spend any kind of quality time together.

We've tried fitting in a bit of special time before bed, but as he is so exhausted at the moment that I don't really like his bedtime being delayed. Immediately after school is snack time and chill out time watching a bit of TV or spending a short while on the computer. Then there's dinner time, a bit of reading, then bed. 

The kids don't have many after school activities but when we factor in their music lesson, boys brigade and drama class each week, it squeezes out any spare time that it may have been possible to achieve. They've both now quit karate (long story but basically J couldn't cope with a change of teacher and venue, but we live in hope that their previous teacher might come back to teaching one day!) but even with no karate anymore, there is still a shortage of time.

I've always strived to be the kind of parent who stops what they are doing when their child brings over a book to read together. I've always tried to be conscious of the fact that one day it will be me wanting to spend time reading with them and they'll be too old to want to spend time with me. So the washing up waits, the pile of laundry grows, the shelves thicken with dust and yet still it's a struggle to fit in that special time that my seven year old has asked for.

He's settled into school so well. He enjoys it. He has made friends and is doing well with his school work. He is fortunate to have found a very caring school with a very understanding teacher and head teacher. So despite having had an amazing time of homeschooling we have no regrets about him being back in school. And yet being at school has made him feel exhausted both physically and emotionally and feeling like he doesn't get to see much of mummy anymore.

What's the solution? I really don't know.

After 2 terms of being at school, D is just totally exhausted!