Hey dad,
the Bug said, as I arrived at his classroom to pick him up. Did you see that girl that just left?
You mean the one with the black shirt?
I asked, squatting to get my hug.
That's my girlfriend,
he said, matter-of-factly, giving me a kiss & handing me his lunch box.
You're pretty fast,
I said, standing up. First week of school. I waited 'til 6th grade before I had a girlfriend.
She couldn't open her sandwich container at lunch,
he said, as we headed for his bike. So I opened it for her.
Cuz you're so strong?
I asked. Yeah,
he said, returning a high-five.
This was his first week of kindergarten .. something I've been dreading. Already I've caught myself dividing his childhood into before & after .. with this week representing the imposing demarcation.
Feels like a major shift. Like a big change. Whole new world.
Feels weird, too .. handing off your child to someone you hardly know. Can't really say it feels natural. His teacher however, seems very nice.
The kids all line up outside, and she goes down the line after the last bell rings, and greets each child by name, and says something personal to them, and is able to elicit a smile from each one. Every day. With parents watching. No small feat. Hard not to be impressed.
Need somebody good to ensure their initial scholastic experience is positive. 25 kids in his class. Kindergarten gets out early. I was there, first in line, when they unlocked the gate to let in the parents. [ # They wouldn't let me pitch a tent outside the gate. It wasn't very big. ]
And you shoulda seen the lunch I made for him. Enough to feed 10 kids. [ How am I ever gonna fit this dang turkey into his lunch box?
]
I put a note in an envelope in his lunch box .. for the first lunch I made this week.
The envelope contained a print-out of the pant-colors & trophies he won in Fancy Pants 2 .. over the course of the summer. He really liked that.
Those trophies were hard to get .. especially the purple pants and the Afro-Ninja trophy. He explodes with happiness whenever we're able to win one.
And we even beat the Big Bad Bunny .. at the very end .. to win the game. Very difficult. That BBB is one bad dude.
[ # One of the best dads I ever knew said,
Find out what your kids like to do .. and go do that with them.]
••• today's entry continues here below •••
The skills they develop at this age are remarkable. And the things they say. Oh. My. Gawd. (So honest.)
I even bought a new notebook (Moleskine knock-off) .. to try to capture some of his more entertaining comments. [ # I'm planning to make a separate entry, regarding what I discovered in my quest to find the perfect little black notebook. Cuz it's very cool. Maybe next week.
Update - here it is » Moleskine » The Little Black Notebook & its Legendary Marketing ]
What's your favorite part of school?
I asked. After thinking a while, he said, When we get in line to go get our parents.
I made some phone calls .. after coffee Saturday morning .. to family & friends. Had them laughing pretty good .. all over the country. (Stuff I can't write here.)
You know how everybody makes a big deal over starting school. So he might've been a little apprehensive. But by the end of the week he seemed noticeably more confident, relaxed, independent.
Lemme show you how we do kindergarten here, Dad. Might wanna step back. Wouldn't want you to get hurt. Oh yeah, and these are my home-girls.
He didn't actually say that, but that seemed his attitude.
He has been wanting me lately to read Star Wars books to him .. light sabers, clone troopers, the force, the dark side. Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan, Yoda & R2. (Never got into Star Wars myself.)
Kindergarten (I learned this week) is a German word that literally means » children's garden. 1 week down .. 13 years to go. [ # Here's hoping I make it. I won't pretend like it hasn't taken a toll. ]
Shakespeare under the Stars
I went to a Shakespeare play last night (in Garden Grove) » King Lear. Outdoor venue .. sky & stars above. Bring a cushion for your dupa and a blankey for your lap.
Went with the Judge. His granddaughter played the part of the fool.
King Lear has 3 daughters. The eldest 2 don't like the youngest. They conspire to encourage their father to give them their parts of his kingdom before he dies. (Their inheritance early.) Which he does .. in a big ceremony.
But not long afterward .. the sisters kick dear ol' dad (the former king) out of the country. And he goes stark, raving mad .. living like a wolf in the forest. [ # There's a lesson there somewhere. ]
3 hours long (8 'til 11.). Started getting tired near the end. Still tired today .. but managed to fix a rockin' batch of puttanesca. Added Italian sausage for the first time. Yummy comfort food.
