For parents, the back-to-school season is the super stressful storm before the calm. It’s not easy to get all the items on their supply lists, the perfect back-to-school outfits, and more. Not only do you have to make sure your kids have everything they need to succeed on day one, but you often have to fight heinous crowds to do so.
Once those chores are done, it’s time to figure out lunches and carpools! There are so many details, and most expect moms to take care of them all. That’s why for many, once you finish that drop off line or watch your child board that school bus you can take that much needed sigh of relief!
Still, year after year, parents, especially moms somehow make it happen.
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After a long summer of entertaining the kids, parents are sending them back to the classroom where they learn and grow….and no one is more excited than parents.
Shawna Genua from Florida decided to take back to school to a new level. She gathered some of her friends to take a picture celebrating that very moment. The hilarious and unforgettable photo has gone viral and shows us the jubilation that happens once the kids are back in school. We can welcome back the wine mom in all of us.
Back to School Florida Moms/Facebook
These celebratory moms are chilling in bathrobes and PJs in the driveway, hands in the air raising a wine glass (filled with sparkling fruit punch). Snacks also abound as these ladies toast to the first day of school. Beside them is a sign that reads “First Day of School 2019 #ByeFelicia.”
Back to School Florida Moms/Facebook
Robyn Pedretti Kelly, a mom from the shoot, told Popsugar how the picture came to be: “Our neighbor Shawna sent a group text out on Sunday night before school started and said, ‘Bring your pajamas and some props! Let’s take a fun photo!’” Shawna decided she wanted to celebrate the triumph of the first day of school with her fellow moms.
Back to School Florida Moms/Facebook
“We wanted to do a different take on the whole ‘I’m sad my kids are going back to school’ vibe,” Robyn explained. “We wanted people to know that parents need a break sometimes. Just like when our kids are upset and stressed, we tell them to take a breath. Take a break. We did the same.”
These 5 ladies have 18 children between. Yikes! It’s easy to see how back-to-school is exciting for them. “They’ve been home since May. We are so ready for them to go back,” Shawna told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Back to School Florida Moms/Facebook
The Florida moms never expected that their silly idea would go viral. Of course, they’ve gotten some criticism but mostly as the photos have spread, the moms are enjoying how many parents can relate. “We got the idea to do the photo because other people were posting sad pictures of their kids going back to school on Facebook,” she continued. “We were like, ‘Why are you sad? We are FREE again!’”
The photo shoot made these cheeky moms very popular among the Florida stay-at-home mom group. “We have ladies wanting to hang out with us and down some wine. We have gotten offers to go to Disney with some,” Shawna told KTVU2.
The only one’s not thrilled about the pictures: the four women’s children! “[They] think we are crazy. The older ones are now disowning us because of how far these pics are going,” Shawna noted. “We have threatened to walk them to school in our robes.”
Let’s take a look at some other viral back-to-school celebrations.
Some other moms shared their back-to-school traditions with Shawna. One friend noted, “I’ve hosted the same thing 2 years in a row already! We actually make it a mimosa morning, and others bring breakfast tacos and snacks. I’m glad to know that there are fellow moms with similar genius ideas out there!!! Have fun!” one commenter shared.
Last year, mom blogger Dena Blizzard went viral with a video of a back-to-school rant as she did the supply shopping at Target.
While to some, it may seem a little harsh to make the kids feel like such an imposition, to these moms it’s part of keeping their sanity. As Robyn explained to Popsugar, “We love our kids more than life itself, but we also love ourselves and need to take care of US, as much as we take care of our kids.”
“Taking care of US makes us better parents to THEM,” Robyn noted, and we couldn’t agree more. Every parent out there needs some time for themselves, and they shouldn’t feel guilty about that. We have to make sure we’re our best selves so we can help our kids be their best selves.