Back to School!

First grade class assignments went out this summer and the frenzy that ensued brought me right back to the early days where we knew no one, and Connecticut felt like a foreign land. Seeing messages on the Facebook page about who was in class with who, and which moms already knew each other felt overwhelming. We have come so far, made so many amazing friends, had such a wonderful year, yet the sight of the start of the year chaos brings an onslaught of those familiar feelings, as if we're back in middle school ourselves, holding a lunch tray and desperately panning the room for an empty seat next to an inviting soul.


As I've mentioned before, my (almost) 1st grader is not a team sports kind of kid. Legos, trains, used book shops, and antique stores (yup, that's right- antiques) these are more his jam. The whole wearing of a uniform, 'winner' and by default 'loser' associated with most organized sports are just not his speed. I wont force participation in something that's supposed to be 'fun', even though it often means we are declining the 'see you at the game?' or 'is he doing soccer? t-ball? [insert kids' sports]' this season?

So lets all remind our littles that as they embark on this next year of their journey, we are right there with them, empathetic to their struggles and proud of their courage. I definitely vote for kind over gifted, inclusive over exclusive, and effort over results.

Summer Stresses

We're 7 weeks in, and I can see the light (school) at the end of the tunnel (summer). For working parents like us, summer is just an extension of the everyday, filled with heat, humidity, complaints, and pressure to fill the days with fun. Summer camp is a necessity, not a luxury for us, as we both juggle deadlines, meetings, clients, and a 6 month old on a daily basis and rarely do any of these tasks run on the 9-5 clock I so often hear fellow working parents lament.

But its not all bad of course. The baby is a slice of heaven on a silver platter I get to enjoy daily. No, he doesn't sleep through the night, in fact he wakes to eat at least 3 times between 9pm and 7am, so I haven't slept more than a 3 hour stretch at a time since December. (Take pity on me when you see my under-eye circles and wonder if I've ever heard of concealor- I have 3 coats on already). But he is pure joy so Ill take it.

And then of course the 6 year old just gave me a week in which I swore I'd send him to reform school as soon as he turned 8, and then wondered if they take children as young as 6. The kind of week where you sit at night, and your insides feel like old wallpaper peeling in on itself when the glue has long worn away. But immediately after the low point he gave me a high point as if he felt my inner most despair. He woke up on the right side of the bed, and flipped the switch from antagonistic villain to compliant cherub (though 'compliant' may be an overshot, you get the picture). And just like that hes back to his joyful, spirited self. Helping pick up leftover food from Panera for the soup kitchen, happily cleaning the basement with a smile. Perhaps these weeks are plucked from above and delivered to remind us what challenging is, in case were have grown complacent, jaded or even worse, discontented.