The first day of school. I took Alison to work and came home to see Cameron in the driveway with all his stuff and the scooter pointed outward, away from the garage. (We have this agreement that he can ride it when the weather is okay.) I mean, he was ready. Inside Summer was not showing her nervousness, other than to tell me not to interrupt her pacing.
After asking me the time repeatedly, finally I could reply, “7:17. Do you want to go?” She told me my question was wrong because she didn’t want to go, but she had to go. So, on the drive there, we discussed my countering point that it was a given that she was going and we were speaking of time of day, so my question carried the implied adverb “now”. I really did have her, but she placed her case on the fact that I had not enunciated “now”.
I believe she was somewhat anxious because when I turned east on Richmond, she excitedly asked why I was going “this way.” I reminder her that I always go that way to the high school and she kept quiet; I guess she remembered the many times I had explained it too easy to get caught up in Middle School traffic on what would seem to be the shorter way.
Then, of course, I was able to avoid those I call “freshman mothers” by coming in the back way to the parking lot. She didn’t indicate she appreciated it. She got out and I assume she went in because I quickly turned and got out of there to escape circling and crying freshman mothers. There are tricks to the high school parking lot . . . and I face another trial at three when the kids who can drive (sort of) and the freshman mothers clash while the former high tail it out of there and the latter poke around looking for their kid in a place that is not your average shopping center parking lot*. You have to ignore the four letter words, the extreme fashions, the orange and green hair and watch out for kids heading to their cars as if they were broken field running for the winning touchdown.
Then I came home and started to do stuff and looked at the sofa and lay down and cuddled up for a quiet snooze.
*Although, I once witnessed a woman and a man with a baby in his car duke it out over a parking place at Woodfield Mall in Chicago. The parking security came and everything. But then in vulturing, there are no rules written in stone ; they should have know that. I think it was a hot day.
I can’t decide if you are training Summer for politics or to be a lawyer. 😉
So many I know see the start of school as “freedom” but I always saw it as being tied down after a summer of real freedom. You are now on a schedule. Now ain’t that grand.
I hadn’t thought of it, but I think I am helping her hone her skills at talking her way out of the situations she is bound to get into. We joke that she doesn’t have a college fund -she has a bail money fund.
Maybe lesson #1 was the think things through theme. I believe I wrote about how we went through a car wash and I started the analogy of being eaten . . . and when we got to the end, we looked at each other and both said, “Didn’t think this through.”
I’ve been sitting here thinking about my attitude about school back then and it popped into my head that I might have been a manipulator and it was just another venue in which to ply my trade.
My attitude toward school has greatly changed over time. I was one of those straight A’s driven kids. I wasn’t popular, more “tolerated” than anything. We ranch kids were kind of set apart, we didn’t run around and do all the sports etc, we went home and worked….I remember many afternoons after school when I’d be on a tractor, or horse or irrigating and my friends would be off on some “event”. Never was bitter about that though, always thought I was the lucky one actually…. anyway, it kind of showed my position in our school, which was small (42 in my graduating class). Anyway, now I look back on it and think of all that I could have done but didn’t simply because I didn’t know. If I had my knowledge now and could have a “do-over” I’d get my GED early early, skip the high school drama and do so much more. I’d realize there were a lot of doors and options out there for me that I didn’t know about back then. But then I guess that’s what age and experience are all about aren’t they. They bring these things to light. Maybe that’s why I have encouraged my kids to look beyond the immediate, to see an entire world, to see options and not just the normal…. because I know I missed a lot of it.
Not that I emotionally would be ready to take on the world at 14 of course….. lol But I sure would have done my “prep work” differently if I’d know the many directions I could have taken.