One of the highlights of the year is the first day of school. Summer vacation has ended and it is time for the kids to return to the wonderful world of academia. Time to balance your life with the more important learning activities.

This morning I got up extra early so I would be prepared to escort Maarten and Sabien to their first school day. "So, are you excited to go back to school?" I asked in an overly enthusiastic tone. "Are you kidding," they screamed back in unison, "we hate school!"

We cycled the short distance, and the closer we approached the elementary school, the more excited the kids seemed to become. Despite the fact that they claimed they hate school so much.

When we arrived, the two kids had completely disappeared before I had a chance to park my bike. Running off to see old friends again, get the best seats in the classroom, recount vacation experiences and scope out the new teacher.

I entered the building and from the doorway of each classroom, I had a distant peek to make sure everything was going along to plan.

On the one hand, Maarten and Sabien hate school, but on the other hand they also kind of like it at the same time. Fortunately my kids are fairly normal then.