What a day!!!

Well...the highly-anticipated first day of Kindergarten for Elijah came and went...and what a special day it was. It got off to a bit of a rocky start. Seeing as this was my first time to ever take a Kindergarten student to his first day of school, I was a little underprepared for the stress and strain this causes on a family...and, specifically, on a Daddy!

I had forgotten to read the Official Parenting Handbook which clearly outlines the number of pictures to be taken on this first special day. Elijah...Elijah and Noah...Elijah, Noah, and Jacob...Elijah and his backpack...Elijah and his lunch...Elijah's first step out of the car...Elijah's SECOND step out of the car...Elijah's first step onto school grounds...Elijah and Mommy...Elijah and Daddy...Elijah and the random student who runs through the viewfinder at an inopportune time.

You get the idea. And even though it was a painstaking process, Robin did get this sweet picture which I think is priceless.

Secondly...there are a lot of kids that go to Taylor Elementary! And all of them brought their extended family for the first day of school. You could tell who the veteran parents were. They were the ones who stood at a distance, made sure their kid made it to the sidewalk, then headed back to the car. They're smart. They've been through the carnage...through the hand-to-hand combat involved in getting a picture taken of a student's first step into this new world. They carry the scars - both physical and emotional - and they want no part of the melee. When Noah heads off to Kindergarten, I may just ask him if he feels comfortable walking himself up there.

Thirdly...public education brings out all kinds. While I saw lots of folks I knew, I also saw many people I had never seen before. Interesting people who I share a community with. I saw at least one Mommy-Mommy couple...thank God that kid isn't in Elijah's class. I'm not quite ready for that discussion yet. I also saw more ink than one would find in a Bic factory. Is it just me, or does EVERYONE have a tattoo now? I know I'm out of style...but I didn't realize how popular the tattoo had become. I asked Robin if I could get her picture tattooed on my forearm...but she didn't respond.

Fourthly...I had forgotten how exhilarating lunch time could be. Elijah saw some pudding cups in the pantry last night and asked us what they were for. "They're for your lunch," Robin exclaimed. Elijah got a horrified look on his face. "I'm not taking my lunch to school - they have a cafeteria!" So he insisted on buying his lunch...and you would think that was the coolest thing in the whole world. Elijah's commentary: "They give you your own tray...AND chocolate milk!!!"

Lastly...HOMEWORK! My son had homework! Granted, it was just a simple review of his day...but I actually had to help with homework!!! It was a sheet with simple, fill in the blank questions. For instance, "When I got to school today I was _____." One question asked, "What was your favorite part of the day?" I just knew his answer would be "lunch." Instead, he said, "Getting to see my friend Alan again." Alan is the child of a single parent who we thought had moved to Galveston...and we were pleasantly surprised to see him in Elijah's class this morning.

So it was a special day indeed. Elijah was ready for us to leave, though. Mommy was taking too many pictures and crowding his space. So as we turned to leave, I thought I saw a tear in Robin's eye. Meanwhile, I remained stoic as usual...until I heard, "Daddy!" I turned, and Elijah came running out of the classroom and wrapped his arms around me and said, "I love you," then dashed back into class.

So yeah - I cried.