All I Learned in Kindergarten

September is here and everyone is back in school.  When my children were small, getting back into the routine took a little while.  Earlier bedtimes, earlier mornings, schedules, homework- more structure and more expectations.  Getting back into the swing of it all was not easy.

When my last child graduated from high school, I thought those days were behind me.  No more sleepy heads. lunches to pack,  tennis gear to find.  Even more important,I did not have the angst and trepidation of a new school year.  All those unknowns.  The "good" teacher.  Acceptance by their peers.  Academic success.  Making the team.  Feeling good about themselves and their school experience. Over. Done.

Wrong.  My Mom school days are over but "Oh-Mommy" school days have taken their place. My grandchildren, Annebelle and Wagner certainly have involved parents.  That is an understatement.  Annie and Greg more assuredly need no help from anyone to raise their children. They are doing an outstanding job.  That said, I will share an example of my grandparenting.

Kindergarten is a big step.  You deposit this little soul into the care of another, and just walk away.  You have put 6 years of your life into this small child;  what he learns, what she sees, who they play with.  You know what they are passionate about, what they are afraid of, what makes them smile and what makes them cry.  You know this child because you love this child with all your heart.  And this is the child  you have just left in a little bitty chair, with his backpack and his lunchbox and a look of terror on his face. A parent has to turn on their heels, and with one goodbye, walk away.

I have assured my daughter that he will be fine.  It gets better.  They get used to the long day and the routine.  He will make new friends.  He will sort out the rules. (He says that is all they talk about)  He will not have to sit criss-cross applesauce all the time.  They will soon, very soon, get to play in the centers.  He will learn to eat his lunch before its time to go outside.

 So, off he marches, everyday, to get his education.

I talk a big story.  I know it is the truth.  But maybe, just maybe, around 11:30, a car slowly pulls into the street behind the playground.  The engine is turned off and the window is rolled down.  As the children pour onto the playground, one in particular is watched very carefully.  The little guy with with dinosaur on his shirt and back- to- school Nikes is spotted.  Just observed.  To see how he is doing.  On the playground. His first week of kindergarten.  Chrissie aka Oh-Mommy