First Day Of School

The first day of school was never a thing that was particularly memorable to me one way or the other.  It generally carried some weight because it was close to or on my actual birthday.  That can be a little less than the best birthday day, to have it fall on the first day of school.

The only first day of school that really stand out in my mind was my first day of high school, way back when.  It used to stand out to me in a bitter way, but not anymore.

I went to high school in a small town.  A very small town.  I moved to that town just a few short months before high school began.  I moved there from a bigger city.  I had attended a big middle school.

I expected it to be easy.  Small town, small school, small class--about 200 kids.  I thought it would be a piece of cake to make friends and fit in, to learn my way around the school and make the most of high school.

I didn't understand small towns.  In a way, I still don't.  But I learned a lot.

These kids, my classmates, had been in everything together from the very beginning.  From toddler playgroups to kindergarten to soccer to middle school.  Now it was high school.  Everyone had their click.  Their place.

I didn't have a place.

My first week of high school, not a single student spoke to me.  Not a casual hi.  Not a oh you're the new kid.  Not a teasing word.  Nothing.

That silence spoke volumes.

After a week, someone did befriend me, thanks Shelly, you'll never know what it meant.  She dragged me kicking and screaming into all kinds of things I would never have done without her.

That first week of silence changed me in a way.  At that time, it shut me down.  It made me afraid and doubtful.  I spent high school being afraid of everything and everyone.  I never got truly close to more than one or two people in high school.

As the years have rolled by, and many have by now, it's changed me in a different way.

I've come to see all that was wasted by fears.  I've come to see them as invalid fears.  I've come to finally now know some of my classmates and realize that even though it was awful at the time, it was never really an intentional slight.

I don't think any of my high school classmates meant to ignore me then.   We were all just kids trying our best to figure it out.  In the end, even though I have very few friends from high school, even fewer who are close to me, I still have great high school memories and I wouldn't trade it.

What was your most memorable first day of school, blog it and or leave it for me in the comments.

First Day of School

Well, it's the first day of school for 2 of the 3 school kids. The 3rd one has to wait until the 13th. Sigh.

I'd love to give you one of those first day of school melancholy mommy type stories this morning, but then you'd know someone else was blogging in my place this morning.

It's been one long fun non-stop frenetic summer. We've been loving it, living on the run this year. I sincerely feel like we did it all and in a good way. Most of the summer was a treat, but baby, let me tell you, it's time. It's time for the ever lovin' thing to come to a halt.

I'd like to just plain sit down and have a cup of coffee and a complete thought. Maybe read a sentence from start to period.

Yeah. I know. Got some big goals around here.

It's just that I hit a time when I think how deliciously peaceful it would be to do even the most mind numbing chore in peace and quiet.

Really. I do.

I'm also going to confess, I'm just not one of those kind of mama's.

I didn't do anything for the last day of summer. Not. A. Thing. Matter of fact, we spent about half of the ding-dang thing on appointments and errands.

There was no fun or fancy last day of summer dinner or bed time or dessert.

There were no special first day of school brand new outfits for today. They have new clothes, indeed, I shopped that hell with 3 kids picking their own outfits and shoes, yes, I did. Their new clothes just aren't the sort you wear on sauna type day.

There were no first day of school photo shoots. No special breakfast. No mommy note snuck into the backpacks. No special lunch packed from home, no, not my kids. They're looking for some hot lunch. And hate to say it, there is no special first day of school dinner or dessert or bed time for tonight either.

Nope. By the time we wade through all the notes home, forms, non-stop chatter of who is in who's class, how hard teacher so-and-so is and run all over town for football practice and youth group, we're going to be lucky to have eaten a meal and brushed our teeth before bed time.

I do have my little moments of jitter as I wonder how the day is going for my very quirky Little Mr. having his first day over at the big, bad middle school, but on the other hand, gosh darn, he's a whole lot more independent and capable than I give him credit for or than he behaves at home. Sigh. I wonder if Littlest Mr. is going to be starving by the time he gets home, 'cause after all, you know, healthy snacks just aren't cool. I'm betting tomorrow, those healthy snacks will be looking real good. He's a hungry boy.

Thing is, though, that's about as far as it goes with me. Little One is set to go on a visit today, and all I'm thinking about is hitting Sam's and the grocery with only one child.