Flying on the First Day of School

I'm a sucker for the first day of school--even now that I am no longer in school. I love brand new school supplies. I love the thrill of a new beginning. I love the formation of a new community. Now, I love watching my kids experience that too. Today marks the beginning of a new school year for the three you see here. Meagan is in third grade, James in first, and Charlie is in half-day preschool. Charlie took part in a home-based preschool two mornings per week last Spring, but today marks his first true school experience. Meagan and James are in the same class as it is a 1st-3rd combination class. They are excited to be together, and I love knowing that they will be together. Charlie is in the same class James was in for preschool and kindergarten, so Charlie feels very comfortable (maybe too comfortable) in that classroom.

The three of them were so excited this morning. I, on the other hand, had mixed emotions. We've had such a fanstastic summer and it seems wrong to call summer off before we even reach the mid-point of August. More than this, I'm coming into a new beginning of my own and as much as I love new beginnings, they are always a bit jarring--no matter how well you prepare. This will be the first time in almost nine years that I don't have at least one kiddo (if not two or three) as my constant side-kick. There will be many perks to this kid-free time as I'm convinced that one kid-free hour is equal to least two kid-full hours. Still, it's a crazy thing to watch your little birdies fly from the nest (even for just a couple hours each morning). As my tiniest bird excitedly threw his little back pack on top of those of his brother and sister in the trunk of the car, I found myself with a lump in my throat and my eyes a bit misty over the three of them fleeing the nest at all at once. But, alas, this is the whole point of parenting...to teach these little people to fly on their own...

And fly they will.

The Answers to Good Parenting

In my last post, I dreamed aloud about being able to write a book with all the answers to parenting well. I've since learned that our very own government has published some manuals on the subject. You just gotta know where to look! Check out the info for yourself. Who knew that good parenting starts with mining for uranium?! I'm afraid Charlie was reading Escape and Evasion while in the womb, though. There may be no hope for Jeff and I to outsmart the little expert. But, it's worth a try! Thanks, Lazy MF, for the tips, and 10-4 to you and yours on your family outing this weekend.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

I had the best day with this little guy. Good thing because Charlie was such a stinker this weekend. We reached an all-time low with him when he earned himself three time-outs in a row. The first one was for yelling at me, his Mama. I never got a chance to ask Jeff what the other offenses were. Our little repeat offender was to serve his sentences under a tree after church where he had commited all of his offenses. He screamed and yelled and made sure everyone walking by know that we, the parents, had clearly lost control of our little cherub. Then, it took both Jeff and I chasing him on the front lawn of the church, Charlie giggling all the while, just to get him in the car. We were embarassed enough and decided not to subject ourselves to anymore humiliation and to take our little guy home to do his time. Which he did. But the day never got much better, really. Then this morning he wakes up back to his happy self saying, "What can I do for you, Mama?" I did a double-take to make sure this was the same boy causing me such angst less than 24 hours earlier. It was. We ran errands together, laughed together, and exchanged more kisses and hugs than I can count. What made today so different than yesterday. I wish I knew. Sleep is part of the answer...the rest I can't figure out. If I could, I'd write a book and every parent in the land would be lining up to buy my recipe book for parenting well. But, alas, there is no recipe. Some days are just bad. Some moments are just bad. But, sandwiched in there is a whole lot of sweetness. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Sometimes all in the time it takes to get through a meal. Ahhh...parenting. Still, give me the bad and the ugly because the good is oh so good.