I normally blog out of habit, but tonight I find myself in an unprecedented situation, so blog my way I will to keep a record of the mixed feelings I’m feeling now.

Tomorrow is the start of elementary school for my six-year-old. He is enrolled in the school where I’m currently teaching at. That was my deliberate decision because I wanted to streamline my life and kill two birds with one stone.

Except that when it really happens, I find myself apprehensive about how my life in 2026 might just turn out:

• Right now, my son wants me to be in his primary school, but who knows when he will feel that I’m embarrassing him? Even if he is happy to be associated with me, he may have to grow up under my shadow. My colleagues will know him as Sensei’s son, not as a unique individual. Can he stand playing second fiddle?
• I will have even less me time than in 2025. Last year, I could snatch a couple of hours of alone time at home before I scrambled to pick up my kids. This year, I will have to pick up my son straight after work because his after-school care centre is just behind my school. The path of least resistance is often the best course of action. Of course, I can go home after dismissal to grab that precious me time — but it will require more energy from me than before.
• just not used to having my personal life bleed into my professional life. I am the kind of person who prefers to keep them separate. Now I will have to think about how to teach my son to maintain boundaries at school. And how I will need to negotiate my dual identity as a parent-colleague when I interact with the teachers who are teaching my son. This sounds like another heavy thing on my to-do plate.
• renewed sense of purpose. I’m in the Science department and am entrusted to take care of the process skills worksheets this year. Motivated to work hard because my son will eventually benefit from those worksheets!
• a sense of tiptoe exhilaration. I am in my 40s and have yet to experience teaching in the same school as my child. This is why people often think that I look younger than my age. I keep landing myself in these novel situations, so my mind has little time to turn cynical and age my youthful face.

Well, I guess I will take it one day at a time.