Ambulance Driver has (yet another) excellent piece about one of life's milestones regarding one's progeny. In his case, there's more to the story, but the sentiment is universal - how a parent deals with entrusting the most precious thing in the world to the edumacational system.
My son will be starting first grade two weeks from tomorrow. First Grade. All day long. He'll take the bus to and from school with "the big kids". He'll eat lunch in the cafeteria. He'll have to use the common bathroom. This is the big leagues now...
A week later, my daughter will be starting her second year of pre-school (in MA, most pre-schools accept kids at age 3. It's really just extended playtime, but it's a good start IMHO). She'll be in for more of an adjustment, as Mrs. G. is changing to a day position at her job (she was second shift) and my daughter will be in pre-school until noon and then "after care" until 3. She'll be full-day as well.
It seems like just yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital, and last week when we brought my son home. And yet, here we are, putting them on a bus or dropping them off, entrusting complete strangers to care for them and yes, maybe even teach them something.
I'm sure it will seem like another week passes and I'll be handing over the car keys...
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10 comments:
LOL - you're this is the "easy" part. ;-)
About 4 years ago, my youngest left for basic training... the husband and I popped open a bottle of champagne and said "whew - we got him and our daughter through the teen years and we survived!" Heh.
The horror is that most of what they learn will come from the other kids.
And it can get ugly believe me.
Teresa,
I figure we'll get to the "heading off on their own" stage in about a month (relative time)...
Buck,
Oh, the boy has already learned "the finger" and dropping trou for a laugh as a kindergartener.
I shudder to think what he'll bring home from middle school, let alone high school...
Yeah, trusting your kid to the state for 8 hours a day is enough to give anyone an ulcer. Try it when your kid has a life threatening food allergy!
After filling out mountains of paperwork and having private meetings with both the school nurse and my child's teacher before school started, they STILL fed her a cookie on the first day of school that had peanuts in it.
Trust me. After the reaction they got from me I doubt they'll do it again! :-D
I imagine you and your wife are nervous wrecks thinking about both the kids in school. Especially when we know what sort of BS they try to indoctrinate into kids along with an education.
My baby girl is going into 1st next week. I don't trust anyone with my kids. I trust my kids. I pray that I have given them the skills to deal with the world outside our home and to know when to ask for help. I am blessed with two great kids.
Christine,
Oh joy. Nothing like being completely ignored by the folks who are supposed to be setting the example for our kids, right?
BobG,
We're pretty fortunate in that our town is a sleepy little 'burb close to NH in mindset as well as geography. They still have an American flag in each classroom, and still say the Pledge of Allegiance every morning.
I *am* concerned, though, that my son will mention "daddy's guns" in school. Not sure how that would go over...
mithglin,
That is an excellent, excellent way of looking at it. I hope I have done a good job of instilling the right values in my children as well.
God Almighty, I'm gonna kick AD in the ass one of these days.
Here I am trying to enjoy the few remaining months of The Little Girl's non-school career (she starts next year, and she's in day care now which costs me approximately a moderate Springfield 1911 every month), and everyone in the damned blogosphere is talking about sending their kids off to school.
I'm showing my age, aren't I...
tweaker
We all are, my friend. We all are.
And I'm spending the equivalent of a S&W 360PD with several boxes of carry ammo for my daughter's daycare/pre-school.
Interesting, isn't it, how we relate costs?
I've been considering getting a tattoo. Given, however, that they cost several hundred dollars, I can't see spending the equivalent of a nice old Model 10 on something as frivolous as a tattoo.
Not when there are poor neglected old wheelguns and milsurps crying out for a good home...
Youngsters (parents not the chilluns) enjoy the early days. The hero worship things goes away somewhere between grade 5 and 8.Then you are as dumber than a rock until they are 23 or so.
The little ones at my house are 14 and 16. We so enjoy looking at them and saying only _____days left before your are on your own AND if you don't like the rules blame them on your older sister. We practiced on her and are perfecting our techinque on you so we can tell you how to raise our grand children.
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