Bench Talk: Back to School...

So, tomorrow the kids are back to school. Do you remember your first day of school? The excitement of a new outfit, new pointy pencils, clean erasers, an unscratched ruler! Walking to school and meeting your new teacher for the year, that was always a butterflies in the stomach moment!

You are so much like my older daughter she gets so excited over new unused school supplies. I don't think that I remember being like that at all. I just wanted to stay home and play, play, play (very much like my younger daughter).

I am like Cathy I love a brand new pencil. Cracking the spine on a new notebook and the look and smell of a brand new box of Crayola crayons. Wow, just gives me a thrill. But this year has been a little different with the little one buying school supplies for the first time. We did a few weeks ago (mistake) and she has not been without her backpack since. It comes down with her in the mornings and all day she is putting in and taking out school supplies from the backpack. It has been driving me crazy as the family room has her stuff everywhere. Not a chair, couch or floor goes uncluttered. When it is time for bed she packs everything up and up to bed the backpack goes. Yes, she is sleeping with it! So I will be happy when all the stuff gets to school and I don't have to see it anymore.

Also this year will be the last year of highschool for the teenager. It seems to me that it was just last year we were planning, filling out applications, figuring out what audition music would be best for her. And now it the final year and she will start having to make decisions that will effect her for the rest of her life! In a way I am looking forward to a routine again, though of course things will be very different in this house. As I wont be at everyones beck and call anymore. Please pray that we adjust to our new lifestyle with only minor mishaps.

I remember my first day of school. I was holding my mom's hand as we walked the three short blocks to school. I remember it was a warm sunny day. We walked to the kindergarten door and I met my teacher, Miss Rugy. She was so nice! The bell sounded and mom left and we entered the classroom. It was so cool! There were toys and a big circle painted on the floor. We sat around the circle and I don't remember what we did, however, I remembered that one of the students had an 'accident' while sitting on the circle and I thought that was so weird. When the older grades went out for recess we had to have naptime. I didn't like naptime! I made the mistake of speaking ( in a whisper ) to my girlfriend....got caught....had to fold up my blanket and sit with my head down on one of the little desks! Here it is, my first day of school and already I was in trouble! Thankfully, that incident did not fortell the rest of my school career!

Ah the memories........


I do remember the first day of school. When it was time for my mom to leave, I can remember holding her hand really tight and not wanting to let go. She kissed me and said have a great day and I can remember having tears in my eyes but I didn't actually cry. My teacher was so nice and it was not long before I was comfortable and playing with the other kids. I was relieved to see my mom at the end of the day and going to school was ok from then on because I knew that it was fun and at the end of the day I would see that smiling face picking me up.

On a funny note I remember that the first day of shool was the day that I learned that my name was different from what I had always been called. So when they called me I dinn't answer because I thought that they were looking for someone else. My parents later explained that my dad had put my grandmothers name (my moms mom) as my given name. My mom did not like the name and she was upset so she put a second name for me which she has heard a lady call her daughter one day and she loved it ever since. Well I was always called by my middle name and I didn't know that my first name ever existed until the first day of school.