Sam the student
Tonight I went to a parent orientation at what will be Sam's school this fall.
We all sat in chairs that were a bit too short for us at tables that were definitely too low for us. We listened as a slew of people talked about all the information they need from us to prove that our kid is our kid and that she's really old enough to start school.
My Sam? In school? As much as I've looked forward to her starting school and talked with her about it and worked to get her ready for it, it didn't seem real until tonight.
Part of what they gave us outlined what skills and abilities kindergartners are expected to have. And Sam's got all of them, I think (although I'm really worried about the listening skills part).
But I also think of the kid things she's said lately, like the other day when I called home and she answered the phone:
Sam: "Hello?"
Me: "Hi, Sam. It's Mommy."
Sam: "Oh, Mommy. Hi. You just scared me all over the place."
Me: "I what?"
Sam: "When the phone rang, you scared me all over the place."
Does that translate to a kindergarten teacher? Will she think that's cute, like I do (although I did correct her), or will she think that my kid needs speech therapy?
When I was a reporter, I did a story about the first day of kindergarten for a boy named Tyler. I remember thinking how cute it was that his parents teared up when they saw him get on the bus and ride away. But now, I think I totally get it. And Sam's still six months away from getting on that bus to ride off into her academic sunset.
Sometimes I'm such a cliche that I embarass myself.
