Back to School in the 1970s
- As August winds down, take your kids on a nostalgic trip downtown to shop at Sears for their new school wardrobe. Grab corduroys and striped tees for everyone, along with dungarees for the boys and culottes for the girls. Sorry, Jennifer, that orange and red poncho is a no-go. Instead, promise to crochet her a better one, complete with fringe. Don’t forget a pack of fuzzy rainbow yarn for the girls to style their hair. The total? A mere $43.00. Wrap up the day at Woolworth’s lunch counter for grilled cheese sandwiches and chocolate milk.
- The night before school starts, load the kids into the station wagon and rush to Eckerds, K-Mart, or Dollar General to let them pick out their lunchboxes. Remind them that time is ticking; they need to be in bed by eight, or they’ll miss the Wonderful World of Disney. If Kimberly can’t choose between Holly Hobbie and The Bionic Woman, you’ll just have to pick Pigs in Space. Don’t forget a composition notebook and a pack of pencils; that’s all they really need. And save some grocery bags to cover those textbooks after the first day.
- On your way home, treat yourself to a pack of Virginia Slims and enjoy a few on the drive.
- The morning of the first day, brew yourself a cup of Sanka and line up the lunchboxes on your Formica countertop.
- Assemble lunches assembly-line style: mustard on bread, bologna, and American cheese, wrapped in foil or wax paper. Each kid gets the same lunch, period.
- Alternate lunch options could be peanut butter and jelly, leftover roast beef, or the ever-popular tuna salad with onions and celery.
- Toss some Planter’s Cheese Balls into baggies and add a Twinkie to each lunch.
- Fill thermoses with Kool-Aid or whole milk and add a red delicious apple, knowing it will probably come back home uneaten.
- Seal up those lunchboxes, and they’ll grab them along with a frosted Pop-Tart as they head out to catch the bus. Crank up some Barry Manilow and celebrate your newfound freedom until dinner time.
Back to School Today
- Take a deep breath and calm yourself with a positive affirmation. There’s still time before school starts, and you can order BPA-free bento boxes or Indian tiffins made from ethically sourced materials. Thanks to Amazon Prime, you’ll have them in just two days, giving you time to read reviews while the kids enjoy summer camp—oh wait, that’s just a fancy term for school.
- A week later, your bento boxes have arrived, along with a three-and-a-half-page school supply list that includes a ten-pound bag of flour and a massive package of toilet paper.
- Now begins the frantic search for eco-friendly backpacks that are also “cool” enough to impress.
- Take the kids to the mall for a shopping spree at Gymboree and Crew Cuts, racking up a bill of $2,387.07 on your credit card.
- Don’t forget to schedule a session with a child psychologist to help them transition smoothly into the new school year.
- Next, study the allergy list sent by the school to avoid sending anything that could trigger anaphylactic shock. Make notes for your Whole Foods shopping trip.
- Purchase school supplies that go beyond the classroom list—think paper, pens, notebooks, a calligraphy set, and maybe even a centrifuge for good measure.
- At Whole Foods, spend hours reading labels to ensure you’re buying organic, non-GMO, and allergy-friendly products. You’ll come home with tahini, bananas, and rice cakes after spending $76.19.
- The night before school starts, prepare the Bento boxes with organic strawberries shaped like sea creatures and sandwiches made with vegan hemp bread. Photograph the finished product for Instagram glory.
- Write your child an encouraging note with an inspirational quote, and include stickers for added fun.
- Fill a water bottle with filtered water and throw in some chilled coconut water—because hydration is key.
- Blog about this experience and pray it goes viral.
- Rise early on the first day of school to create signs for photos.
- Serve pancakes shaped like letters of the alphabet while dressing the kids in coordinated outfits for an impromptu photo shoot.
- Finally, drive them to school and shed a few tears as they step into their classrooms, knowing you’ll be back for them in a few hours after their busy schedules of Synchronized Swimming, Cello, and Urdu classes.
In conclusion, the way parents prepare for back-to-school has transformed dramatically from the simplicity of the 1970s to the hyper-organized and detail-oriented approach of today. While the essentials remain—clothes, lunch, and supplies—the emphasis on health, wellness, and social pressures has created a whole new world of back-to-school preparations.
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back to school preparation
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