Back to school, break ke baad

Early-morning alarm bells, school-buses honking around, mummies running after kids with glasses of milk in hand. It’s that time of the year again. With certain schools in the Capital reopening today, and others all set to follow over the next few days, life will go back to where it stopped a month and a half ago. No kidding, the summer hols are over. And what is about to start is post-vacation blues.
Renu Aneja, mother of Swati, a student at Lady Irwin School, has a problem on her hands. ‘‘When her school closed for the vacations, Swati was all charged up about our vacation in Shimla. But now, with school reopening, she has already started complaining of a tummy-ache. I expect this to go on for atleast 10 days.’’ By the way, the present is the time when kids — and not just Swati —come up with all sorts of excuses to bunk school and are liable to throw tantrums.
‘‘Vacations have a psychological effect on us in that they leave us with the feeling that they have ended too fast. Returning to one’s usual routine is tough, specially for kids, for whom it’s bye-bye to holidays and back to homework. Besides, their sleep pattern changes: late to bed and late to rise becomes early to bed and early to rise. This irritates kids so much that they want to avoid school,’’ explains psychiatrist Samir Parikh, MD.
Welcome to post-vacation blues. Interestingly, psychiatrist Sanjay Chugh, MD, has a different take on the issue. ‘‘I wonder why it shouldn’t be termed post-vacation pinks. After all, one does come back feeling rejuvenated and in the pink of health after a break. Yes, along with this feeling come a lot of worries about fitting back into the daily grind. But sometimes, kids can miss their ‘best friends’ in class and can’t wait to go back to school. Also, they want to share what they did during the vacations.’’ Like in the case of Gautamik, a class VII student at Modern School (Barakhamba Road). ‘‘We went to Singapore and had a great time, I am going to tell everyone about it!’’
Gautamik has managed to beat the blues. But what of other kids? ‘‘Just as a vehicle needs new engine oil at regular intervals, it is important to take breaks at regular intervals for a smooth life,’’ suggests Chugh. In other words, watch out for the next break and post-vacation depression will disappear into the blue!
divyavasisht@indiatimes.com