'I'm gutted': TV star Wendy Kingston knows how you feel when your kids start school

On Sunday night I was faced with a roll of contact and a book. Just one book but that book needed to be covered .. with the contact. 

That was the moment it REALLY hit me: I am the parent of a school child.

(Oh, and if you have no idea what contact is, I'm now officially jealous. It's not as easy as it looks!)

Rewind one week and I was one of thousands of mums and dads across the country loading up a school bag and taking our little boy Joshua to his first day of Prep .. at the SAME SCHOOL I attended for 12 years. Mind blowing. 

It was a mix of nerves, tears (on his part), happiness we actually made it on time, sadness my baby didn't need me so much, and momentary joy a break was nigh when he called me a stinky stinky sock on the way in the car. (Give this kid a thesaurus, pronto)

I took a week off work for this momentous event. After raising Joshua to this point, there was no way I was going to miss dropping him off each morning and picking him up. Some people take holidays to go to Fiji. I took annual leave to go to school - for five days. It was worth every second.

I have never been more excited to see him than Monday afternoon, six hours and 20 minutes after my husband and I dropped him off. Morning tears had been replaced with a huge smile and I got a hug I will treasure forever.

He was STARVING and his day was "great". The rest of the information trickled through over the next few hours.

The main thing was he had survived. I had survived. The world didn't stop (I know, I know - a little dramatic but new school parents will get this) and we would do it all again tomorrow.

The rest of the week was a blur. Military like precision, organisation horse powered to a whole new level I am not yet familiar with, preparing lunches, and a daily battle with intense morning traffic. Hectic doesn't even come close.  Three children under four and a half ... all needing food, water and clothes before 730am AND clean teeth. It's a big ask. My alarm now goes off even earlier. The coffee machine goes on seconds later.

This week I am back at work and, while I am grateful my work hours allow me to drop Joshua off, the pick ups have been handed over. I am gutted. Beyond words. When I get home he's exhausted and his lovely long conversations from the previous week are now simplified into one or two word answers - making that first week even more precious.