The First Day of School...Part I

LargeBoy is now at least two hours into his first day of high school. I think I'm more nervous than he is. Last night, in my mad rush out the door to our band's recording night, I asked him to make sure he located and collected his schedule, ID, a pen, pencil and something on which to write...and to get to bed on time as he would be leaving the house between 7 and 7:15 this morning. Needless to say, when we got home around 12:30am, LargeBoy was still up watching late night television. I asked him, "LargeBoy, did you gather your things?"

"Uh, no."

"Perhaps you could get them together now? Have you found where all your classes are?"

"Uh, no."

LargeBoy, PC, & I then huddled around the kitchen table, looking at the miniscule map of the school contained on 4 separate pages of the school handbook...one page for each floor. Conveniently for LargeBoy, most of his classes are on the 3rd and 4th floors. Unfortunately, his locker is on the first floor. PC and I took the liberty of inflicting some unnecessary freshman jitters on him. It was so late last night that I honestly don't remember what we did to him, but it was fun...he knows PC is a jokester, though, so he caught on pretty much right away.

With morning rapidly approaching, LargeBoy decided it was best to stop putting off the inevitable and to succumb to sleep. This morning, as I was up getting ready for work, it was with much relief that I heard him moving around downstairs. When I came down, he was dressed and sitting at the kitchen table with his backpack at the ready. Once again, he was reviewing his path around the school and trying to make a mental note of where, at least on paper, his classrooms are located. As I walked out the door, I gave him some money for lunch, wished him luck, and told him that he would be just fine. PC drove him to school today - a special treat for the first day ONLY. He had threatened to embarrass the snot out of him by bringing along a pair of SmallBoy's Sponge Bob underpants and yelling to LargeBoy, as he crossed the campus, "LargeBoy, you forgot your spare pair!" Luckily for LargeBoy, PC did not follow through with his plan, although he did share it with LargeBoy, so he knows what he's in for!

I won't hear from LargeBoy until I get home from work. I'm sure he will be just fine, but, you know, it's his first day of HIGH SCHOOL! This is a huge change for him after being in the same school with the same people (and about 1200 less of them) for the last 9 years, since kindergarten! Perhaps I'm just over anxious, or maybe a bit melancholy for my high school days. LargeBoy will be fine. Next Monday Girl and SmallBoy start back to school. That prospect is a little less frightening, rather comforting, actually! Oh, I can't wait!