Sunday Blues

The honeymoon period is over. You’re starting to dread Sundays and the inevitable tears, tantrum, sulking or unhappiness from your boy. You begin to question yourself and whether what you are doing is worth it if your boy is so miserable. Am I a terrible parent? Am I doing the right thing?

The answer is YES and no. Yes you are doing the right thing. Yes it is natural for your boy to be homesick and not want to come to school on Sunday. Who really wants to come to school or work on a Sunday? Since Dilworth began over 100 years ago, boys have been homesick and the Sunday Blues have been around ever since.

No. This will not last his entire Dilworth journey. It will likely be sporadic for the first two years. He does miss you, his family, his home, which is natural and you should take it as a positive reassurance of the great job you’re doing as a parent.

What you don’t see as a parent is that 9 times out of ten, within 5 minutes of him being back in Cotter House he is smiling and laughing and tearing around with his mates. Unfortunately you leave school thinking your boy is miserable and you have the rest of the night to beat yourself up. Please don’t. He truly is fine.

So what can you do to lessen the Sunday Blues?

1.    Be organised. Give yourself plenty of time to get to school without rushing.

2.    Make chapel a ritual for you and your boy.

3.    If you have other children, put aside 30min for your boy to have one to one time. Go for a walk, kick a ball, prepare a meal together or play a board game. Remember, boys like to talk when they are doing something.

4.    Write a letter once and a while and encourage grandparents and relatives to the same.

5.    Have an organised time during the week for your boy to call you.

A Dilworth scholarship really does transform boys’ lives. Remember that.