First Day of School

Woo hoo! They're all at school. They looked terrific. Hair was brushed, clothes matched, the glow of their sugary breakfast on their cheeks...hope the teachers recognize them tomorrow! I'm a firm believer that you never have a second chance to make a first impression, so why try? ha ha Seriously, everyone was on full throttle this morning. I gave them all different speeches.
6 yo- 1st grade will be different, but fun. Pay attention and do your best. Listen to your teacher. And she'll probably call you Ben because she taught your brother. Don't get bent out of shape. GENTLY remind her of your name.
8 yo- You're going to love DFW (his new school, 3-5 school). Pay attention to your teacher. Try your best. Learn your way around. Don't let the girls distract you in class. Don't take off your shoes. And tell your teacher I'm sorry I forgot your folder on the first day. My fault, not yours.
11 yo- Don't lose your lunch money. Look out for new kids who might need a friend. Don't get overwhelmed. You're going to have a great year. Deep breaths.
13 yo- Be nice to everyone. Look out for new kids who might need a friend. Be nice to your sister when you see her in the hall. Try not to be a Bossy Bessy 8th grader, and good luck at soccer tryouts this afternoon.

Whew. Can you see all the different personalities?

Do you have any idea how many things I said I'd do 'once school starts'? If I began today and worked every today, it would probably take until Christmas. ha ha But it's better than last year when I had years of things I said I'd do when 'Jon starts kindergarten'. Anyway, I have a ton of writing and editing to do today.

Today is soccer tryouts at the middle school, as well. We only have one co-ed team, so only a small number of girls will get to play. My od is trying out, but I don't know if she'll make it or not. She really wants to play yet she's not a great soccer player, you know? She wants to be on a team and she wants to be able to play this year. I hate how at this age it becomes so competitive, that the options are severely limited for an okay player like H. Yet I know that the really competitive, talented players should get to be on a team that plays at that level.

It's middle school, for goodness sakes. Couldn't there be an A team and a B team? The A team could compete against the other schools, but the B team could be, like, a club that practices every day but helps kids get exercise and improve. That would only help fuel the team for the next year, right? At our school, it would really help if there was a separate girls team, too, because then more girls could play. Small town living. I can't really complain because I know in other places the socccer becomes way more competitive at a much younger age than this and other sports, too. What happened to sports just for fun and learning and growing? Teamwork and camraderie (I know I spelled that wrong...) and just plain old exercise. Well, I don't want to get riled up about that this morning.

We'll see what happens. She'll be okay either way, but I know she's very nervous.

Enjoy your day!