Back at the beginning of the school year, I wrote a post about my kids entering high school. Now that the year is up, I thought I might reflect a bit on the past year.
One of the differences about high school that I mentioned was a lack of uniform. It has, indeed, been glorious. Even when one of my kids went to school in pajama pants. The only fights we had about clothes were, you might not be surprised, the PE uniform. ::shakes fist at uniforms of all kinds::
Self-sufficiency was also generally expected. After looking at the end-of-year report cards, I probably could have stepped in a few times, but overall I’m glad I let them deal with any issues on their own.
Pickup, while a pain in the rear because of the drive from the West Bank at rush hour, was far more relaxed. It didn’t matter if I was a few minutes late. Chances are, they were hitting the vending machine on their way out of the building anyway.
We worked on financial literacy this year. They were given debit cards (and a small allowance) so now they are expected to manage their own money. Another step in the right direction for self-sufficiency, but maybe the next lesson should be “less soda.” We’ll see.
Sports were a huge part of the school year. The boys played on the JV soccer team, and between practices and games, it kept everyone very busy. I volunteered at nearly every game (to avoid paying the ticket fee or because I wanted to help out? You decide.) working at the concession stand, and enjoyed getting to know some of the other parents. It must be said, there weren’t a lot of wins on our side, so I had to get enjoyment out of the games wherever I could.
I took the boys to the homecoming game, which was also, well, not a victory, but a lot of fun. And one of them even went to the dance (solo), which I was not expecting! Another self-sufficiency win!
I loved seeing how my sons excelled in some classes. I loved hearing that they were excellent writers or a joy to have in class, or were doing exceptional work. There was little drama, which was a welcome change.
All in all, the year was a good one. It zoomed by, as expected. At the beginning of the year, I was the tallest person in the house. That is no longer the case. My grocery bill is bigger than ever. So now what? Well, driver’s ed in a few weeks, then sophomore year will begin. And maybe a 10:15 bedtime, if I’m feeling nice.
