Apparently I’ve been living under a rock, because I was amazed that there were five Kindergarten classes at my son’s school. When I was growing up in Memphis, my school had just one class per grade. When they closed my school after my fourth-grade year to make it special-needs only, I switched to White Station, which was a large school comparatively. There were two classes per grade. I thought that was impressive. So you see where my naivety is coming from.
Last night we met Billy and Luz at the Japanese Steak House to celebrate their daughters’ birthdays. Their oldest daughter, …read more

I did it. I cried when I dropped my son off for his first day of Kindergarten. I honestly didn’t think I would. I felt good about his going and I knew he was ready. In some ways, I was consumed with guilt about not being sad that my little boy was growing up. I hear that all mothers cry on the first day of Kindergarten. How could I be the one mother who doesn’t cry? I am, after all, the over-loving, smothering type.
But then it hit me. Three separate times I was blinking back tears – once as we …read more

There are five Kindergarten classes at my son’s elementary school. I’ve been told we couldn’t go wrong with any teacher we got. Still, I knew little more than what I heard from other mothers at the pool.
When we checked the posted list of teacher assignments last week, I’m not sure what I was looking for. Perhaps I hoped to recognize some of the other students in my son’s class. I didn’t. I didn’t even recognize my son’s teacher’s name. Hers was a grown up name, not really a word but more of a sound a cat might make while bathing …read more

Last week, Truman’s new elementary school posted the names of the teachers and the students assigned to each of their classes. Our entire family rushed to the school at precisely 3 p.m. for the hallowed occasion. I recognized some of the Kindergarten teachers’ names from poolside chats with neighbors. But otherwise I was going into this whole Kndergarten thing blind, though with tangible excitement. When we spotted our son’s name on the list, my enthusiasm dampened.
There are five Kindergarten classes. Each has 15-16 students, except the class Truman is assigned to. It has 23. It also has a full-time teacher’s …read more

As the kindergarten class filed into the classroom, one little boy held out his hand, “For you, Mrs. Allen,” he said.
Then he opened his fingers and dropped into my hand three dandelion heads.  I knew from his grin, he thought he was giving me a treasure.  This reminded me of the dandelion bouquets my brother picked for my mom.
Brother was the kindergartner’s age or younger.  He’d roam around the large front yard of our farmhouse during dandelion season in spring.  Then he’d bring Mother a bouquet…a mass of golden dandelion heads.  No stems, just the heads.
Mother poured water into a cereal …read more

I’m not sure how I feel yet, today I officially signed up BabyGirl for Kindergarten. Honestly, had we still lived in NC then she would’ve already been going but due to her birthday falling one day shy of the cut-off she was not allowed to start out here. Kind of silly but it kept her here with me for an extra year and I loved it.
The only real problem with this, besides my own sentimental self will be her brother, Little A. Over the past years they’ve been side-by-side and now it is to the point where he copies everything …read more

Do you ever hear yourself speak right after you’ve said something and then you realize how you probably sound?
When I talk about my kids I’m sure I sound like a . . . what? Okay, I’m one of those women with bright children. It’s a point of pride for me that my daughter has been doing “homework” for fun since she was 2. She’s the type of kid who has an office with a sign that says “Ainsley’s Office.” I don’t buy her toys, as much as I buy her school work books. I taught her to read before Kindergarten. I go talk …read more

Are You My Mother?You know that Dr. Seuss book where the baby is asking all the wild animals Are You My Mother?
Zack could look back and forth and see the battle yesterday at Ainsley’s Meet The Teacher Meeting. The power struggle between my daughter and I, laying claim over mothering Zack was palpable.
Zack would not keep his yappy, baby-demanding, mouth shut during the teacher’s first lecture about the rules. Ainsley kept loudly asking to hold him and fighting with him over crayons, arguing with me about every answer. All the other children behaved beautifully, quietly, respectfully.
Normally, my children are afraid to misbehave in public, …read more