The news about what’s happening with our children’s school this fall changes much faster than we can even write about it. I laugh now at the fact that we naively planned this feature to be about how relieved parents were to be able to send their kids back to classrooms this month and next. (And on the inside, I cry.) Even those parents who are sending their children to school probably aren’t feeling any kind of lighthearted relief at the moment. Not the mood one meme’d about in the beforetimes, at any rate.
As we all shake our heads, pull our hair out, rearrange our lives to figure out some way to take care of our children and make sure they learn something this year, whether that’s through homeschool, distance learning, socially distanced classrooms, or all of the above, there is a silver lining to this murky, black-clouded moment. In our midst, there are parents who are also damn funny comedians, and they are finding a way to share their gift with us. We thought they’d be posting memes of wild celebrations and wine-drinking as they sent their kids off to the first day of school — after those perfectly styled chalkboard photos, of course. Instead, they are making us cackle with glee with wildly relatable laments about homeschooling and working from home with kids who won’t get out of our hair.
Here are some of their funnier versions of the realities we’re all living right now.
Momtransparenting’s Nicole Pecoraro on our failures to homeschool effectively:
🎵 we don’t need no education 🎵 @momtransparenting #momtransparenting
A post shared by Nicole Pecoraro (@momtransparenting) on Jul 21, 2020 at 10:10am PDT
Dr. Ira Savetsky and Marriage and Martinis depict how we’ve handled things so far:
I really hope school starts in the fall. #Quarantine #Parenting
A post shared by Ira Savetsky, MD (@drirasavetsky) on Jul 12, 2020 at 4:20pm PDT
Look out summer 2021….we’re coming for you. (Creator unknown) • • • • #summervibes #moviesofig #summer2020 #summer2021
A post shared by Marriage And Martinis (@marriageandmartinis) on Aug 2, 2020 at 5:41pm PDT
Elizabeth Hanif nails why federal and local officials are jerking us around with their school-opening decisions:
Well now it all makes sense!!! #highschoolteachers #highschoolmathtrachers #teachers #mathteachers #education #counselors #lovemystudents #blackteachersrock #blackteachersmatter #teachersfollowteachers #educolor #teacherstyle #teachersofcolor #educators #nyteachers #blackeducators #blackeducatorsrock #blackeducatorsmatter #blackgirlmagic #teachertalk #blacklivesmatter #backtoschool #teachertalk
A post shared by Ms. Hanif (@adayinthelife_msh) on Aug 3, 2020 at 9:52am PDT
Audacity Magazine has an apt argument for people who think schools should open at any cost:
Happy Monday to everyone BUT @betsydevosed and every “governor” who thought it was okay to put children and teachers at risk. Praying for the safety of everyone who was sent back to class in-person today. • • #covid19 #coronavirus #notahoax #believeinscience #protectchildren #protectteachers #education #backtoschool #stayhome #virtuallearning #audacity #millennials #genz #whataboutthechildren #meangirls #nostalgia #2000s
A post shared by Audacity (@audacitymagonline) on Aug 3, 2020 at 10:07am PDT
FilterFreeParenting and BSinEducation have us laughing and crying at the uncertainty of everything:
Anybody else poopin’ their britches a little every time you think about this Fall?? #teaching #education #teachers #teachermemes #teacherproblems #teachersofinstagram #teachersfollowteachers #teachersbelike
A post shared by 𝗔 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗱𝘆 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 (@bsineducation) on Jul 12, 2020 at 4:57pm PDT
2020 needs to be canceled. . FOLLOW @filterfreeparents . . . #cancel2020 #forrealtho #funnymomsofinsta #thatmomlife #momes #momsunite #mommygoals #lifewithkids #momquotes #motherhoodquotes #realmomlife #funnymomsofig #momstuff #momtruths #funnybecauseitstrue #momprobs #momsquad #momminainteasy
A post shared by Filter Free Parents (@filterfreeparents) on Jul 17, 2020 at 4:57am PDT
Our reaction to discovering that our kids’ school isn’t opening yet may be like StyledByShishi’s Shiran or Mommymemejeans2’s Carly’s, or both:
Don’t you worry little lad…mommy always comes back 👋🏼 #bye2020
A post shared by SHIRAN |MOTHERHOOD CHRONICLES (@styledbyshishi) on Jul 16, 2020 at 5:11pm PDT
Both of my kids are little Tracy Flicks. Let’s do this 🗳 • Follow me at @mommymemejeans2 here and on Twitter ✨ • • • • • #mommymemejeans #mommymemejeans2 #momtweets #parentingtweets #mommode #school2020 #lifein2020 #parentinginapandemic #funnymoms #parenthoodvibes #suddenlyhomeschooling #wemissschool #weloveteachers #imnotateacher #kidsbelike #momswhoswear #sahmprobs #momswhotweet #wahmproblems #laughalittlemore
A post shared by Carly G (@mommymemejeans2) on Jul 22, 2020 at 3:43pm PDT
Or we’re bracing ourselves to send our kids to school, like Gila Pfeffer:
Actually that’s not true, there’s definitely an amount of Xanax but it’s probably not legal for any doctor to prescribe that much at one time. So do I need to buy my kids hazmat suits for September or what? Cuz they are going to school in September. They are. THEY ARE. (I’m manifesting here, feel free to join me.) @the.mom.who.knew.too.much Twitter: @gilapfeffer . . . . . . . #backtoschool #distancelearning #boardofed #thisistoomuch #pleaseleave #metime #wfh #kidsathome #personalspace #gobacktoschool #teachersrule #tweetmemes #parentingmemes #momsbelike #themomwhoknewtoomuch #gilapfeffer
A post shared by Gila Pfeffer (@gilapfeffer) on Jul 3, 2020 at 11:12am PDT
Krayons.n.tequila’s Ashley and BSineducation have some spot-on predictions of what will happen when schools open:
Just wait…..the 2nd week of school boom❗️ Mommy my stomach hurt 😑😑😑 ▪️ ▪️ ▪️ ▪️ ▪️ ▪️ ▪️ ▪️ ▪️ ▪️ ▪️ #realmomlife #dadlife #funnydad #dadjokes #fatherhood #parentslife #babies #letstalk #momgroups #oureverydaymoments #childhoodunplugged #igmoms #parentblogger #dailyparenting #lifeasmama #MomItForward #mommyneedsadrink #momlifeisthebestlife #sarcasticmom #itsamomthing #momproblems #socialmediamom #workingmomlife #parentinglife #bless3dmama #krayonsntequlia #blessdedmama #kidmemes #parentmemes
A post shared by Ashley (@krayons.n.tequila) on Jul 20, 2020 at 11:42am PDT
Lunch in the classroom is DEFINITELY going to curb the spread of germs….ammiright 🤪🤪🤪#backintheclassroom #teachers #teachersofinstagram #messyclassroom #sticky #sunnyd #wastenot #teachermaid #yourmotherdoesntworkhere #wehavemice #mice
A post shared by 𝗔 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗱𝘆 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 (@bsineducation) on Jul 28, 2020 at 6:46am PDT
Michelle Dempsey-Multack had us pausing our laughter to shed a little tear, because our emotions are so mixed up about all this:
Sometimes she’s 5 going on 15, other times she’s still VERY much my baby. 💗
A post shared by Michelle Dempsey-Multack 🧿🍋 (@themichelledempsey) on Jul 30, 2020 at 6:51am PDT
But WorkWifeCollective gets our determination to make this work:
Send help and coffee, please. . . #scarymommy #momlife #momsofinstagram #summer #backtoschool #quarantinelife #workingmomkind #workingmom #distancelearning #sendcoffee
A post shared by Work Wife Collective (@workwifecollective) on Jul 27, 2020 at 5:10pm PDT
And RamblinMama reminds us that this isn’t entirely unprecedented:
Afternoon TV basically raised me (credit unknown)
A post shared by Ramblin Mama (@ramblinma) on Aug 2, 2020 at 6:32am PDT
Anyway, as Sonja here points out, we’ll eventually be able to look back at all this with humor, maybe:
Big FACTS! #GM #whereisthelie #schoolpictures #2020 #schoolyear2020 #smile #lol #facts #virtual #virtuallearning
A post shared by Sonja (@s_fabulous10) on Aug 3, 2020 at 9:28am PDT
Whatever happens during and after this strange back-to-school season, the great wide parenting community of the internet will be for each other. Let’s hope there’s more to laugh about than cry over in the months to come.
Here are some of the best kids face masks you can buy before you send those children out into the world.
