So it is official...both girls are now completely immersed into the Public School System. I won't bore you with the morning details but suffice it to say there was one time out, an explosion of oatmeal, a full blown hissy fit and at least one mumbled "I hate school" between the hours of 7am and 8am. OK so Cheese is only in half day kindergarten, but I didn't let it ruin my morning buzz, actually last year's preschool was longer...but something about this morning was wonderfully different. I may have gone a little overboard when I dressed the girls in matching shirts (they were different colors- but it will definitely warrant a couch session when Mac gets older). They looked absolutely adorable as they walked hand in hand into those gymnasium doors. One glance over the shoulder and a thumbs up and I started towards my three hours of freedom.
Sure on the outside I was calm, cool and collected, just a pleasant smile on my face as I floated through the parking lot toward my van. However, inside I was having a dance party, popping, locking and polka dotting. I actually thought about dancing the first sixteen counts to Michael Jackson's "Beat It", I mean who knows maybe some of the other parents would have joined in. On the other hand, there was a chance that I would be dancing by myself and I didn't want to start of the school year being stereotyped as the loony mom with no bra moon walking in the parking lot just yet.
All was going well, or so I thought, I jumped into the mini-van and turned on the radio. And then it came, the guilt exploded over me like a mentos in a 2 liter of diet coke. I turned up the music to hear Welcome to the Jungle by Guns-n-Roses. I thought of my little Cheese, all three feet, 40 lbs of her, battling her way along with the other monkeys, lions and tigers in her own concrete jungle. Did we teach her the right survival skills to make it a day, a week, a month without a guide? Should I have stayed around a little longer and made sure her compass pointed the right direction? I guess only time will tell, sooner or later we all have to let go...one safari adventure at a time. So tomorrow I may stick around a little longer and make sure she has a walking stick and a good can of bug repellent...I mean seriously why can't I?
