Photo: Jeni Bukolt

Jeni Bukolt, Mom Shares Relatable Back to School Sign That Reflects How Parents Feel as School Kicks Off

One North Carolina mom has struck a chord with her relatable back-to-school photo.

Borrowing from the trend of first-day photos with back-to-school signs that give details about the student, Jeni Bukolt decided to fill out her own sign, detailing how she’s “42 years tired,” “will probably miss a school theme day” and can provide supplies but “please don’t ask me to volunteer.”

“May we have patience and give each other grace for doing our best!”

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Later, Bukolt — who is the owner of branding agency HAVEN Creative — shared another photo with the sign, adding a post-it at the bottom that reads, “P.S. I love teachers and my boys. It’s a joke.”

Speaking withGood Morning America, Bukolt explained, “I thought maybe if I can create a lighthearted moment, some other moms will laugh and understand we’re all in this kind of struggle together. Like, let’s have empathy for each other.”

Jeni Bukolt

Jeni Bukolt, Mom Shares Relatable Back to School Sign That Reflects How Parents Feel as School Kicks Off

“I also feel like when you look at social media, there’s all these, [picture perfect] worlds. It’s not the true story,” she continued. “And some people think like, ‘Oh, they have it better or they’re perfect,’ and this is an opportunity to say no, we’re all real human beings … we’re all in the struggle together.”

Bukolt also revealed that the idea was a spur-of-the-moment one. “It really was a last-minute thing,” she noted.

“I did it right after my boys were getting ready to go to school and the whole purpose behind it was just the struggle of myself going, ‘Here comes another year. I hope I don’t forget anything.’ Because trying to be an entrepreneur and a wife and a mom and juggling all the things, I feel like I’m constantly failing in some area of my life.”

source: people.com