Harold Cook2 said:So, what's the deal with religious studies? If a kid is signed up for religion classes at school, does that mean they're basically forced to hit up Mass every single Sunday?
Your best bet is to just ask some parents at the local school or people from the parish—it really varies by situation. In first grade, probably not—but I’ve seen cases here in town where they expect the whole family to show up, regardless of whether someone was working an overnight shift right before service. So—just check how things work in your specific area.
More and more parents here are opting out of religious studies for their kids. In my first grader's class, over half aren't enrolled—and honestly, most who did sign up just did it so their kid wouldn't feel left out... they'll probably pull them out next year anyway. I love Cleveland 😍
I was being completely serious here—no jokes, no playing games with people. It isn't even about it being a Catholic school; it’s more about their whole philosophy regarding kids and parents. Honestly, I think you’d find the environment much more pleasant there—given how negative and toxic things feel elsewhere—and it would be easier on your child, too. Or take this, for example: https://www.waldorf-seattle.org/—though, to be fair, I've heard much better things about that first option, and people seem pretty happy there.
Harold Cook2 said:Spot on. Exactly how it should be.
So, what kind of paperwork am I supposed to drag along for the testing process?
When you applied back in January, you should have received a packet with all the necessary forms—the appointment notice itself usually lists exactly which documents or forms you need to bring along. Same goes for the physical exam paperwork; it’ll specify what to have ready for that too.
The process here in Cleveland is a bit different than it is in New York City—so there's really no point in expecting the NYC rules to apply to us. Even within our own area, things vary from school to school; our school just does one big testing window for everyone, whereas the school down the street breaks it up over three separate days.
Just double-check the papers you were handed at each stage. Honestly, the smartest move is to make a few copies of every opinion and medical report you have and just carry them all to every appointment—it won't hurt to have them on hand, and it might actually help secure a deferral if someone needs to see proof. Also, try to be proactive about asking for a deferral at every single instance; don't wait for them to bring it up. Insist on it. I know people who were persistent enough to get the deferral without any issues, but I also know cases where they asked and were denied—only to end up being told by a teacher, "Well, your child isn't ready for first grade," leaving parents stuck with no recourse. If you ask for a deferral and they say no, you can't exactly pull the kid out of school mid-year and put them back in preschool. So—if you think you need that extra time, stay firm.
My instructor threatened to fail me in PE because I couldn't finish the 1.2 miles sprint on time—which is a bit much considering I have asthma 🙂. I went to see the school nurse to ask for an accommodation, but instead of getting help with my PE requirements, they just pushed me into some "corrective gymnastics" class. I can't catch a ball to save my life—not with my strabismus making everything look flat rather than 3D—but she didn't seem to care about that.
The grading for this subject should be based on individual effort and personal progress, not these rigid, absolute standards. For me, showing actual progress would simply mean being able to run a mile or two without stopping. I would have been grateful if they had at least offered to teach me how to run properly or breathe correctly—something to get me moving and away from a desk.
We’re usually stuck indoors on weekends—unless there’s a massive storm rolling through or someone catches a bug 🙂 otherwise, we're heading over to Grandma's place in Chicago. But yeah... we'll figure something out and squeeze it in whenever we get the chance
We’ll have to figure out a game plan once enrollment season rolls around. It would be perfect if we could just walk to preschool since it's on the way—but then again, I’d never make it to my office on time. We'll just cross that bridge when we get to it.
I need to stop stressing about school—it’s just causing unnecessary anxiety, and there's plenty of time left to worry later 😬
So, I was thinking about that common advice—you know, how everyone says a first grader should walk to school to get used to the route and build some independence. I started doing the math, and honestly, it's just not happening for us. It’s at least a 15-20 minute walk. If I walk him there in the morning, there's no way I can make it back home to grab the car and still get to the office by 8:00 AM—public transit isn't an option since it's too far away anyway. And if I tried to drop him off and then circle back for the car... forget it, I wouldn't make it by 4:30 PM. My only other choice would be to leave the car parked near the school 🤣 but then you run into all those logistical headaches with after-school activities, running errands, or hitting the grocery store. Just one of those annoying little dilemmas 🙂
Honestly, who knows? We'll just have to wait until it actually matters to us.
I was chatting with a mom yesterday, and she mentioned there’s talk about getting rid of extended kindergarten for third graders—right now, it’s only an option for the first three grades. Apparently, some schools in NYC have already moved to just the first two years, and the idea is to roll that change out across the whole country. 😲
Every school around here handles their shift schedules differently. I actually just checked the website for a school in the next neighborhood over—they don't even bother listing specific timetables, they just state that after-school care runs from 7 AM to 5 PM. It’s a much more realistic setup—you aren't constantly racing against the clock just to make it by 4:30.
The whole shift situation is just messy—especially regarding meal planning. If kids are there for morning care but attend classes in the afternoon, they get breakfast. Flip that around and they don't.
It's a mess. I already went through the headache of dealing with daycare organization, and at this rate, I can see myself being stuck fighting with the school system until graduation.
I’m not quite part of this conversation yet—and honestly, it might be easier to just wait until the school schedule is actually released—but I have some questions. 😬 If anyone could shed some light on this, I’d appreciate it.
We’re one of those families where both parents work and we don't have any extra childcare help. To get to my job on time, I have to drop the little one off by 7:30 AM at the latest, and I can't pick him up before 4:30 PM. Looking at the website for the district school we're enrolling in, it seems they have two first-grade classes sharing a single after-school program. Their "hours" are listed as 7:30–13:30 in the morning and 10:30–16:30 in the afternoon, with a dedicated teacher for the program.
Now I have a million question marks floating around. Who am I leaving my kid with if school doesn't start until 8:00? Is he just wandering the halls? And what about the gap when the morning program ends at 1:30 PM but school doesn't start until 2:00 PM? Also, how do they handle it when religious studies is the first period of the morning shift—who watches the kid who isn't participating? It's not like I can just tell my boss I can't show up until 8:45 that day. How do things work at your local schools?
I can already see us being the outsiders—the only ones unable to pick our kid up early and the only ones skipping the religious studies classes.😢 🙂
I’m hanging around here because we’re looking at extended school days in a few years... and that last post—along with my boss's reaction—reminded me of an encounter back in college. The department secretary was totally baffled, putting her phone down in confusion because some woman kept calling incessantly, demanding to know when "parental leave" would start. Or at least asking for "information for parents." It’s not like that’s even a thing 😬 . Oh man, I can already see myself becoming that person 😢. And I really don't want to. I need to find a way to rein in the control freak living inside me. But honestly, hearing the talk going around gives me the chills—total panic mode. First grade, after-school programs, plus another 45 minutes of homework every single day, followed by endless work all weekend just to scrape together enough points to fix bad grades 😲. Hello? It's FIRST GRADE!! It should be about playing, enjoying life, and spending free time with parents at the local park eating ice cream. Or building mud forts and picking noses.
I’ve got maybe two more years of living in this pink cloud before reality hits. And who knows, maybe they'll actually pass that education reform they keep talking about by then 😬
Carol Garcia said:northerntiger9, please—don't even joke about three and a half years. I’d just give up right now. ☕
We're doing okay now—he's almost 4.5 months and mostly sleeps through the night, aside from the occasional diaper change. 🙂 Honestly, I'm just jealous of everyone whose babies actually sleep; this whole process has completely drained me.
Carol Garcia said:Ladies, how long does it actually take to fully bounce back after giving birth? It’s been six months already—and I’m just constantly sick and feeling run down. Honestly, I'm starting to get on my own nerves. I’ve been swallowing every vitamin under the sun—Centrum, Emergen, various immune boosters—you name it, I’ve tried it. The other day my husband picked up some royal jelly from the drugstore because I thought it might help my energy levels. But I’m just perpetually exhausted, dealing with headaches, colds, a runny nose, and a cough that sounds like an elephant. My teeth are acting up, my joints hurt, my muscles ache, digestive issues... everything. And I wasn't always like this; I used to be pretty solid and healthy. Not to mention my mental state—some days I feel like I'm about to snap.
Shouldn't I be feeling more like myself by now? How do I fix this?
This isn't from the birth itself—it’s just classic sleep deprivation mixed with accumulated stress. Once you finally manage to get a few hours of actual, deep sleep, you'll start to feel human again. If you can carve out even a little bit of "me time" to recharge, you'll find your footing. 👍 (It took me about three and a half years to truly settle back into myself, so I know the feeling. 😢)
I’m just counting down the days until I can get out of bed like a normal human being—not like a turtle—and when I turn from side to side or shift in my office chair without having to strategically calculate every move to avoid a spasm. 🙂 My little one is four now, and honestly, since the day I gave birth, I haven't had a single day where my back didn't feel like it was falling apart. It actually started back at the hospital; I genuinely thought something went wrong during delivery that messed up my spine—but they just brushed it off and offered me some painkillers. My doctor just shrugs her shoulders and says, "I don't know, but I know a great chiropractor." Of course, everything would be easier if I weren't essentially flying solo with the kid, or dealing with the postpartum struggle of being without a car and constantly straining myself walking up and down stairs all day. If I could somehow drop the weight, too. And if I could commit to exercising more seriously—I try to squeeze in yoga twice a week, which helps a little, but it's not a cure. Work is killing me, too; sitting in the same spot for eight hours is brutal. When I'm on vacation and actually moving around, I feel much better. But again, I can't exactly switch careers given what I do...