Week one

Well, we made it through the week and I, for one, am fairly psyched. We've avoided any melt-downs this time. I'm thinking this is a combination of little ones toughening up a bit, preparation for the transition of the special one, and this set of teachers not feeling the need to start of the year with the harshness that has started some years with tears. I'm not sure if this is a new philosophy or just good luck on our part, but I'd like to think it bodes well for the year to come. Maybe something related to the training about establishing a good atmosphere in the classroom? You never know for sure, but I choose optimism about BCPSS as a starting point for the year.

Again and again and again and again...

Not to be a jerk, but can someone please tell me why I have to fill out 3 duplicates of emergency contact/medical information every year for each kid? And certainly not electronically so that I can just hit print three times, no it has to be on the stupid card stock index card thing. Every year, even though the information has never changed. Every year, even when they are staying at the same school. It's a small thing I guess, but it bugs me. I pretty much do everything on PCs and I have gotten used to copy and paste operations. It would seem to be bad for the school as well - can they really read every one's handwriting? Do they toss out all the cards from every year? That's a lot of paper that they could be putting to better use I would think. Sorry...I'll stop whining now.

I'm guessing that some of this frustration is more about the level of stress that we're all under at the beginning of this school year. There are big transitions and a lot of things that you can't help with as kids get bigger. You stand back, you watch and you hope like crazy. Oh, and being that's how I'm wired, I worry and have flashes of all sorts of worst case scenarios.

Twas the night before the first day of school...

OK, so 2 out of 3 start tomorrow. Got the backpacks together, check. Uniforms together, check. Stuff to pack lunches, check. So, somehow two different schools that start and end at the exact same time, and one parent doing the drop-off/pick-up. Well... somehow everything works out in the end. I know life would be easier if they were doing the MTA thing, but I'm just not comfortable with that. I remember the rowdiness on the bus when I was in school about 25 years ago. I have a hard time imagining that things would be better these days. So... rushing around in the morning and the evening is a given. No use over-thinking it I guess. Anyway, time for bed and setting the alarm for the first time in several months. Ughhhhh. Wish us all luck.

Bad blogger, bad

Apologies for being so bad about posting lately. Somehow this end part of the summer is tough. Right now we're in the gap - camps, goodbye to old schools, getting through the summer assignments, getting out of the city and the yearly amusement park trip. I'm trying to relax, but I keep on picturing the coming school year. I'm pretty nervous about it, actually. Three kids in three schools leads to logistical nightmares. We were there two years ago, but last year it was just two schools. Don't forget extra-curricular activities and homework when you picture the chaos.

Then there's the concept of having a kid in high school that's just about killing me. I don't know if I'm ready for dates and college applications. I remember being in high school. And my mom? She was old, really, really old. And what does that make me? Plus the special one is going back into general education. That's a tremendous transition for everyone involved. And it was only a few years ago we were transitioning the other way. Learning together to live together sounds right to me, but that doesn't keep me from being anxious.

It would be a lot more comfortable if everybody could just stay put for a few years. Alas, that's not the way it goes in the parenting business. That reminds me of a joke I heard about fourteen years ago (new babe in arms): Ask a parent about what's great right now in their kid's development. After they tell you respond, "Don't worry, they'll grow out of it." So there you have it - kids grow, schools change, teachers change, PTAs change. Love it or hate it, it will change. I've got a few weeks, but then it's time to keep plodding through and learning on the job.