Morning in Kailua My kids' first day of school dawned beautifully. A warm gentle breeze in the palm trees, myna birds and cardinals filling the air with warbling, the earthy and organic smell of ....sewage? What I mistook for my neighbor's dog having a poop fest in my yard again was actually my new Kindergartener having an accident in his bed overnight. And I'm not talking about a simple case of bedwetting. Call it a case of nerves.
I had envisioned heralding in the new school year by waking up early, cooking a hot breakfast of eggs, spam, and rice, dressing up the kids, and taking a plethora of pictures to commemorate this annual rite of passage. But what I actually did was re-bathe my distressed 5 year old, scrub the carpet, a mattress and a trail leading up to the kids' bathroom toilet. The kids' had cold cereal and I snapped one picture while contradictively yelling at them to hurry and get in the car. So much for heralding.
We resumed the twice daily journey through carnivorous Honolulu traffic. When we got to school I had just enough time to walk each child to his or her class, meet each teacher and refrain from saying, "good luck, sucker!" to my oldest son's teacher with a wicked cackle.
I know I should be weepy and forlorn as I send my precious little ones into the care of complete strangers for the majority of their waking hours - but all I could do as I drove away was heave a sigh of gratitude for the peace and quiet of a minivan carrying just one child. It is one of life's great ironies that you don't appreciate the simplicity of having just one child until you've had four.
12 comments:
First day of school here too.
Starting tomorrow, both kiddos will be going to high school. My 13yo skipped a grade in math and will be going to high school for the 1st period, then back to middle.
The 1st period of high school starts at 7:30. Drop-off at that school is physically impossible because of all the teenagers driving, parking, crossing over from parking lot into school, you get the general idea. School bus comes at 6:45. They just moved the bus stop to the end of our street - used to stop in front of every house. Come to think of it, I'm about to have a #2 accident myself... Off to make more coffee.
goldie, coffee might actually magnify the problem, if I were you, I would opt for a banana and some cheese.
ahhh one child...priceless! I am laughing hard at your first day! So Sorry about the Stool! Hope all the teachers survived!:) How far is your drive?
Ambie, thanks but I was referring to a metaphorical poop, if you will ))) Also I may need a coffee IV for the rest of this week.
Ahhhh, the first day of school. That must anticipated rite of passage! With just Luke at home, it has really lost some of it's magic. I wish that I would have distilled some of the enthusiasm when I had 6 kids to get out the door on the first day! If I had, I would uncork the bottle tomorrow and just let the essence swirl through the house!
Those really were the days!!
goldie, sending an innocent 13 yo into the wilds of highschool is definitely the stuff of metaphorical poop! lol!
Mia, it takes us a good 45 minutes to get to school give or take depending on the traffic (departure time 6:40am). It only takes 25 minutes to get home and to/from in the afternoon. Still, it's enough to make me lolo (as they say here).
Cheryl, I can't imagine having six, SIX children, six backpacks, six lunches, six parent-teacher conferences, etc - but I bet Ambie can.
Too much fun. Poor thing. I am glad to hear you made it through. I miss you guys so much. I miss Nathaniel being Garrison's bud. What a sweetie.
Something odd about this year. My kids were all more excited than nervous about starting a new school year, and they all came home glowing and happy with their teachers. So far, I haven't had to fight the kids about getting homework done (knock on wood).
I'm not complaining. Beats cleaning up poop. But it's just weird...
Haven't experienced a first-day-of-school yet and won't for another year. Still have three at home. Lots and lots of poop everyday, especially this past week since my 2yo had e coli (poor little guy!). You think regular poop is bad. Just imagine poop that could literally put you in the hospital if mishandled. Collecting poop samples to take to the medical lab was fun too - won't even describe what I had to do with a tongue depresser and a vial of some rancid fluid. I left the kids in the car while I ran into the urgent care lab to drop off the sample. After rushing back to the car, my 4yo asked if next time he could go into the "poop store" with me. I had a good laugh after a couple of really tough days! :)
e coli ? Oh dear ! Well how many people can say they had e coli? At least he'll have something to say that will shock and impress his dates someday.
E Coli??? Holy Crap!
I'm not sure I would call that crap Holy! A few other descriptors come to mind.........
I love the things kids say! Who would have thought that there could be a "poop" store!
Imme, I hope your little guy gets feeling better soon! Don't feel bad about missing the first day of school delights. Savor each and every frustrating, hair pulling, smile producing, and heart stopping moment with your little ones. They truly do grow up in the blink of an eye and before you know it, they won't fit on your lap and snuggling them becomes a battle of arms and elbows.
Luke, my 15yo baby of the family, is in that stage. I know that in 5 years or so, he will come around and will want to sit on my lap -so that he can crush me and show me how manly he is- but for now, I cling to the memory of little hands in mine and chubby diaper padded bottoms to pat and fine hair to ruffle.
You're living the life, my friends. Enjoy it "poop stores" and all!!
Post a Comment