Darn It!

Sometimes several years can go by and it feels that life is much the same as it has been.

But other times,

Naomi looks like a woman and smiles confidently as she leaves for high school.

Marko runs off to his kindergarten line because he already knows where it is.

And the game of pretending that Lucy is still a baby gets a bit ridiculous as she tells me that "Technically if a peregrine falcon didn't have wings it wouldn't be a bird." 

Darn those other times, when I realize that this stage is slipping away. 

What's Up With Moods? (Part II)

crunchy leaves and pink noses
sun on top and fog beneath
sweatshirt weather
a peaceful pace because we're not late
children holding hands
with each other!
and autumn smells
on our way to school this morning

All Is Right With The World.

Are Parents Supposed To Correct Their Children's Homework?

I'm sort of new to the real homework world. I'm not sure how this is all supposed to work.

I understand that parents should guide and teach and offer support through the whole homework process, but what about correcting it?

Is homework supposed to be an indication to the teacher of how completely hopeless my child's spelling skills really are? or should I be telling my daughter that almost every word on the page is spelled wrong and helping her spell them correctly? Then the teacher won't have a clue why she received 1/20 on her spelling test when her homework looked so good.

Is It Cruelty That My Kids Went To School Today Without New Shoes?

I walked the kids to school today. We were surrounded by shiny new shoes and pristine clothes too warm for the current weather.

I had a pang of guilt over last week's decision that they didn't need any new clothes. They don't need any new clothes. They have more than enough, even considering how rarely I do laundry, and they're all in good condition.

But new school clothes is part of the childhood experience, and now, year after year, I am denying my kids of it, because we have lucked into a few good hand-me-down gigs.

My kids seem oblivious to most material things, including this, so maybe I should just count my blessings and sign off this post. But sometimes kids seem oblivious to things, but are really keenly, internally aware.

Or, maybe I'm sending a much more important, lasting message, of priorities that rank clothes, money, shopping, and all that goes with it on the bottom rung?

But, oh dear, there was a pinch of guilt.

What's the Difference Between the First Day of School and the Last?

First Day

They bathed in the brand-new tub and were tucked into their sleeping bags on the floor at a reasonable hour to be ready for the first day of school. The house had towers of boxes along every wall and we were all hopeful of a new school, new friends, and a somewhat-new life. Their hair was brushed and pony-tailed with bows. Their lunches included individually wrapped snacks from Costco. Their backpacks and sneakers were new and squeaky. And we were ready for a lovely stroll to the school by 7:56 am.

Last Day

They had a field trip to the spray park last week and it rained, so no bath necessary. They said they brushed their hair. There's no evidence to that fact, but I'm not going to fight it today. Eliza's backpack broke a month ago, but I certainly wasn't going to replace it that close to the end of the year. Creating their lunches with no bread, no snacks, no yogurts, and no juice boxes in the house was a trick. I am hopeful that their classes will have some sort of party that includes sustenance of some sort. We are finally ready to go after we hear the "first bell" ring in the distance at 8:25 am. Mario Andretti drives our minivan the 2 km to the school. And an exhausted mother drops off her children and sorrows that a whole year has slipped by again.