T’was the night before school
And all through the city
The mothers rejoiced
Some even felt giddy
The backpacks were packed
By the door with care
In the hopes that the children
Would soon be out of their hair
The children were (finally!) nestled
All snug in their beds
After whining and crying
And shaking heads
Then the mommies had wine
The daddies had beers
And they all clinked their drinks
And said a big “Cheers!”
I know some kids around the country are already back at school and some don’t start until after Labor Day. Mine, thankfully, go back tomorrow. I’m happy about this for obvious reasons – we’ve spent a lot of time together these past few weeks.
Some of it was wonderful – the beach vacation, leisurely mornings in pajamas and afternoon movie marathons. Some of it wasn’t. The boys’ new meal plan has been emotionally exhausting (and so far not very successful), and I’m fairly certain I lost some precious brain cells at indoor kid play spaces.
The thing that makes me happiest about school starting, though, is that the boys are truly excited. Riley is still young, but he gets it. “Go to school?” he asks. “With Dylan?” He seems so grown up to me at times, but then he giggles like a madman when I do peek-a-boo and I’m instantly reminded that the little guy is still two.
As you know, Dylan is a complex creature. He keeps so much inside (in his head and heart) that it’s often hard to know what he’s thinking or feeling. In previous years, Dylan didn’t cope well with the start of school. This time around, though, he’s visibly excited. Every night this week, he asked me if we were going to school the next day. “Not tomorrow,” I told him, “In four days.” Then three days, two days, and today I had the pleasure of telling him, “Yes, you’re going to school tomorrow.”
This newfound excitement about school gives me hope that one day soon he’ll wake up and ask for bucket of chicken wings for breakfast. When that happens, I’ll write a few verses called “T’was The Day He Ate Chicken.”
The Runaway Mama by Jen Gregory 