First Days

Tommy and Scotty both had their first days of school. To commemorate the start of third grade, Tommy got a hair cut. Let's see...his last hair cut was...um... I don't have a clue. His hair was long. I didn't care if he left it long, but the bangs had to be dealt with. So we agreed it could be 'shaped'. Except she was a little flummoxed by all his cowlicks and curls. She eventually just cut them all off so his hair would lay down!


He liked it long, so I was a little surprised that it didn't phase him at all to have it gone. I don't mind it one way or the other, because mostly it's just hair. I'm going to save the big argument for when I find pot in his jacket, or he joy rides in one of the cars. When he's fourteen. I'm not saying he will do those things, but I need to prepare myself. In case those things are, uh, genetic. *cough*



Tommy very confidently headed up to the school and met his new teacher. Her name is Dawn. He calls her Dawn. I'm not that kind of hippie! Why not "Miss Dawn", at the least? Ms. So-and-so is even better. Maybe it's the Crabtree in me, but I don't get it.

When Tommy came home from school, he said, "I like my teacher. She's always smiling." Which I think might be one of the nicest thing I've ever heard said about anybody.


Scotty was a different story. Don't let this grin fool you. I absolutely did not factor a meltdown into my morning commute. He's in pre-school! He only goes three days a week! He's going back to the same classroom from last year. Seriously, it's a non-issue.

He started winding himself up on the ride over. He trembled and teared (not the bratty-want-my-way cry, either, the really-sad-help-me one. Believe me. I know the difference.) and started wondering what would happen, who would get him, how much he would miss Daddy and Mommy. What the? He sobbed at school.

It wasn't until later that I realized...he only went to 'summer camp' at the school for one week (the first week of August) and the rest of the summer he was either with me or Erik. Plus, most importantly, up until this year Tommy was at his school. Which means this was literally the first time he was completely on his own without somebody from his family nearby.

Huh. Guess I should have thought of that before I rolled my eyes.