First Day of 2nd & 4th Grade

Selfish. That's how I felt this morning anyway.

I offered to walk on to campus this morning with my boys to help them find their teachers (whom they didn't even get to meet since we were camping during "Meet Your Teacher" day). They both said, 'No thanks, mom.'

Whaddyameannothanks?! Oh man. Who is going to help you find the right line to stand in since you don't even know who any of your classmates are yet? How will I get a cute first-day-of-school picture for the yearbook? When will I get to look your new teacher in the eye with my grin that says, 'I'm SO proud of this child, isn't he the BEST?!'

Okay. So I talked them into posing for this quick shot of them before they hopped in the car (still at home in the driveway - but I'm not bitter) even though Luke kept asking what the picture was for and why do we need one and what am I even gonna do with it anyway. I know, and you know, that one day he will know why I needed one. But I'm assured that's not for years to come. I then drove them through the traffic circle and dropped them off at the gate just as they requested.

That's when the selfishness just oozed out. The fault lies with all the other parents. They are the ones who made me start crying and not be able to stop for 10 minutes. I'll own up to the selfishness but I need someone to blame here for something. At least I held it together until after my kids were out of the car. I got stuck in the proverbial traffic line long enough to get to watch hoards (okay, maybe not hoards) of parents happily walking their children - of all ages I might add - onto campus. I don't know if the children were happy, I just looked at the parent's faces. This is not about the children right now. Sigh. Poor, poor me! The tears just came. It's that ending of a season in parenting that just gets ripped from your soul.

And then within a half an hour I was in the company of my sweet mom-friends, laughing and enjoying the freedom of breakfast together. Let's hear it for the rich balm of human interaction and its quick ability to work magic on my pity party. Whew. Thank you, ladies, more than you know.

I'll admit...I am counting the hours until the boys return home. Can't help it. I do love them so!