And I’m floating in a most peculiar way

different strokes eh

my nephews, night and day, the oldest one wanted to do it all before he started school, read write, count the works, the younger one, not so much into all that stuff, i can remember the older one commenting on what the younger one was going to do, he was starting school in a few weeks and he didn't even know his colors yet

everything wooked out fine, the younger one learned his colors and is now a budding artist

I'm glad you started this, boomer. I've been wanting to start something similar, wasn't sure how.

Sozlet's started kindergarten. The first day, I was a bundle of nerves. Way beyond what I was expecting. Just adrenaline, and exhiliaration, and pride.. I kept hugging and kissing her. We've started preschool, twice, I don't really get where this came from. Rite of passage, I guess.

She's loving it, duck to water, all of that. She seems very happy about being a "big kid", which is more unusual than you might think (actually, I think you and I have talked about that before) -- she's been very happy to be little and the "don't you want to act like a big kid?" stuff has never really worked for her before.

("Rock and Roll" is sozlet's highest praise when it comes to clothes, too. She has some mostly black converse high tops with a pink streak which, when paired with a black t-shirt and dark denim scooter [skirt with shorts under it], makes an outfit that she thinks is very R&R.)

How well I remember. The older one knew his colours alright. When we went in for a meet the teacher interview before school started he scowled and told her is favourite colour was BLACK. I can just imagine what she thought

A whole new world is opening up for you Boomerang. If there is any way you can get involved with Mo's school (without necessarily volunteering in his classroom -- don't want him to think you're spying) go for it. I got talked into volunteering for the Safe Arrival program and eventually ended up running it. As a result I knew all the teachers, many of the parents and most of the kids. And it's great for getting informal feedback re: Mo without waiting for official report cards.

I would frame that grocery list...

Wow!

What a wonderful thread!

This is a small milestone in all of your lives, boomer. I am sure you'll
make it a memorable one for Mo.

In Germany we have a custom of giving children a huge cone filled with
candy on their first day of Kindergarten (to sweeten the deal so to speak)
and I made one for little Jane, of course. Her first day was filled with
a lot of excitement (on her part) and a bittersweet feeling on my part.
It is a small milestone, no question about it.

Here she is with her "Schultuete"

Boomer, Soz--

Congratulations.

Hold your dominions.

"These are the days now that we must savour
And we must enjoy as we can
These are the days that will last forever
You've got to hold them in your heart."

Van Morrison

Congrats, guys. How well I remember those days.

My youngest is 10 now, but every day is still a rewarding adventure.

This is ground Control to Boomerang...

Look what you did!

Raised a lovely boy! Well done!

Children are so precious, I just turned around and mine was all grown up, with a daughter of her own!

Speaking of which - my Granddaughter came back from Finland yesterday. She had a fantastic time, the first words were:

"When I'm big, I'm going to live in Finland 'cos you can ride your bike anywhere, and you don't have to lock the doors, and no-one nicks anything"

I'm going to live there too, so I can ride my bike anywhere...

Hey Hey

(Finish for Goodbye - hope I spelt it right, hello is Hey)

Sarah
x

I love the memories this brings!

(My youngest just got his driver's license.
He drove himself to work that night.
What happened to the little twerp waiting for the school bus?)

Boomer, You've really made the grade and the newspapers want to know whose shirts you wear.

You've described it with all the emotion we all have felt. How bittersweet it was when my second son went to Kindergarten and left the house empty. I saw the swing slowly moving with the breeze and the house was too quiet.

Beautiful memories of my 30 and 34 year old sons.

Bittersweet.

What a great word. That is exactly what I feel. I'm glad I'm in such good company.

Rite of passage.

That's it exactly. School is really the first thing they can't just quit. At least for Mo it is.

Watching his model his you'll-grow-into-them clothes really reminded me that he is smaller than I imagine when he is not with me - when I unfold the jeans and shake them out and hold the hem at ground level to see if they are "right" only to get home and try them on the real boy and have to roll them up, twice, and adjust the waist, to the smallest size. In my mind he must be a giant.

That must be why on the first day of school so many kids wear you'll-grow-into-them-clothes. We imagine giants.

Now its time to leave the capsule if you dare

He's gonna be great.

Exactly!! The eldest child always seems so big, especially compared with a newborn.

Just wait until you look at his pictures in a few years. There he is: a very little, adorable boy.

Mo started school today. I only cried a little bit.

He thought it was a big yawn. Exact quote: "Kind of lame."

Uh oh.

I believe he likes all day recess better than 30 minute recess.

He did finally work up the courage to remove the training wheels from his bike this afternoon and was delighted to discover that he could "ride that monster". He rode up and down the street yelling "Two wheeler, baby!" at the top of his lungs until every neighbor came out to admire him.

I may have trouble getting him back to school on Thursday.

I had to promise to let him ride his bike.

awwww, I actually was thinking of you this morning when I spotted
all the little Kindergartners at my daughter's school. With some of them,
the backpack was bigger then themselves, and with much trepidation
they walked into the classrooms, leaving worked up and anxious parents
outside.

I wondered how you'd be holding up at his first day of Kindergarten.
Isn't Mo going every day?

Oh wow! Big congratulations on the bike thing!

If you'd like to share your training methods, I'm all ears.

We keep taking off the training wheels (she SEEMS so balanced and confident when they're on) and putting 'em back on (she's not when they're off) and taking 'em off (maybe now?). When the wheels are off, there is a bunch of horrible stooped-over running that's not good when I'm in the best of health and really not good with this temporary asthma dealie.

Anyway, happy first day of school to Mo and Boomer!

Here they start half the kindergartener's on one day, half on the next, then everybody on the next day so Mo doesn't go back until Thursday.

Mo really did good - he jumped right in. I only cried a little bit when it was time to go. He came over to reassure me. I HATE it when kids have to reassure their parents so I pulled it together and high-tailed it out of there.

After class the teacher said something like "Oh! Mo did such a good job reading his book" and I was like "Huh?". Another thing he's learned in secret, I suppose.

He colored within the lines.

Huh?

Where'd you learn that? We've never had a coloring book inside the house. I'm a "color where you want" kind of mom.

He's full of surprises.

The training wheel thing is kind of funny. We took the training wheels off of his old bike and he refused to ride it. I bought him a new bike the other day and I was careful about how it fit (he'll probably outgrow it in six months). I had them set the training wheels to the highest position when they put the bike together.

One of the wheels must have been funky because he bent it almost immediately. It stuck up in the air. When he landed on it, it really slowed the bike down because it was at a funny angle.

I kept trying to talk him into taking it off but no deal. My 60 year old neighbor drove up today and said "Mo. Will you lend me your training wheels?" and he said "Okay" and requested that I take the wheels off. I did. He gave them to Gloria.

He fell a few times but it didn't seem to bother him.

I'm going to make lovely Gloria a nice cake.

My advice: bend up the training wheel so it mucks up the ride then have someone ask if they can have the wheels.

He's reading?!