Written by One hundred eighty. That is roughly the number of days dedicated to the school year. Those days are spread out over several months, and the year-round school schedule we follow helps distribute the load across the seasons. Still, that is almost half of the year spent within the walls of a school, and outside the immediate influence and oversight of parents… I take a step back and try to think of it in terms of actual time spent. The school hours associated with those days come to about 1,170 for Jaden and Dillon; 1,260 for Logan. Even at first glance, it seems to me like a lot of hours. When I consider the time I spend away at work during those same 180 days, I figure I get to spend about 270 hours with the kids (If I don’t travel). I add another 600 hrs if I include 12 hours per day on the weekends. I’m still losing ground. READ MORE »
Posts tagged School
98 degrees of separation
We inched into the parking lot…my head on a swivel… eyes constantly searching for the white gleam of a reverse light, or the tell-tale signals of a parent approaching his or her vehicle in preparations to leave – the hurried walk, head down or glancing at a timepiece; the jingling of the keys; the bewildered stare, mouth agape, searching for the sedan in the sea of SUVs. The parking lot was crowded. Like the mall on Christmas eve crowded (maybe not in THIS economy, but like it used to be). Crowds of parents and students and siblings poured in from across the streets as many were turned away and were forced to park in the adjacent neighborhoods. I inched further along. Jaden and Dillon were nattily dressed in their 1st Day of 1st Grade clothes, and Ethan was in his favorite little brother attire: Small Paul Monkey print T-shirt and cargo shorts. A mini-van inched back. Victory! READ MORE »
These little lights of mine…
Kendra and I had a homework assignment from Jaden’s and Dillon’s new teacher due on the first day of school. We needed to write a letter to the teacher about each of their talents and characteristics. We had done similar assignments before with Logan, and may even have done something like this for them last year or in Pre-School. But somehow this one bothered me… as they get older, I grow increasingly concerned about people taking shortcuts in learning who they are. Any action I perceive as someone trying to compartmentalize them is immediately met by me with resistance…slowly approaching mild hostility. I understand that they are identical, and that it can be difficult to distinguish one from the other solely on appearance. But after spending any time with them, and making an effort to know either of them, it becomes apparent almost immediately who each is based on mannerisms or expressions, even posture! Each definitely has his own light… READ MORE »
Spring is in the air!
So… I found out recently that my son has a “girlfriend”. My wife was performing her usual taxi duties for the after school pick up and saw the two of them in a warm embrace. They even stole an innocent kiss before they parted ways… Preschoolers these days!
Yes… Little Dillon has emerged as the young Lothario at Little Einstien’s Preschool. On the trampoline the other day he and Jaden told me about a “friendship” they had developed with these two girls in their class. Jaden explained that he and his “best friend” had had been spending their play time together. Recently, she had played with him during snack time, but ignored him on the playground. He decided that the next day at school he would refuse to play with her during the day as well. Jaden broke down his elaborate plan for exactly how it would all go down when they got outside to play. He ended the day dancing around with a different little girl… Dillon said that his “best friend” told him “I like you” during snack and told Kendra that his friendship with his particular girl is “so into it”; so into it? Seriously? Where does this even come from? I am thinking the Little Einstein school might just give way to the Little Celibate Monk Academy if this trend continues. The birthday party is in a couple weeks, and I am already anticipating the drama. I just know I am going to have to run interference with “Into It”‘s dad, provided he survived the coronary.
I am somewhere between slightly amused and somewhat concerned with this development. I mean, Logan broke news of a girlfriend earlier this year, and even confessed to having had one for a short time while we were in Lawrence. I had been anticipating hearing this from him, so my initial reaction was more of “OK, that makes sense… we can monitor this from here”. I knew he was coming of that age and that this would be the next step in his development and we could manage that. Jaden and Dillon will be five in a couple weeks… this is just a touch earlier than I had anticipated dealing with this. I mean, this is completely out of left field. As recently as a few months ago these two would only answer to the names “Yoda” and ”Only Kenobi”; All of a sudden they are dancing with the girls in the classroom, planning mind game retaliations, and kissing girls goodbye.
As much as I struggle with this, I am SO much happier to be on this side of the line than to have to be the daddy of that little girl who comes home and tells him that she kissed her boyfriend goodbye at preschool that day. I can’t imagine what my reaction to that would be…Come to think of it, yes I can… I may need to have the boys stay home sick a few days… just to give ”Into It” and her dad some time to work this out on their end, and give me some time to work on that application for the Little Celibate Monk Academy… maybe I can get a deal on the tuition with the two of them… maybe get an advanced placement for Ethan…
Thanks for coming along for the ride; Kiss your kids!
