When we enrolled our kids in a brand-new school 11 years ago, we assumed we’d be there until the end. The school was meant to go all the way through high school, which was great news. We wouldn’t have to deal with finding three spots in kindergarten and then later high school. (What’s up with New Orleans basically not having middle schools?) We patted ourselves on the back, getting 15 years of school sorted in like five minutes.
Fast forward to the middle of eighth grade. The boys are still at the same school with classmates they’ve known since they were in preschool. And they tell me they might want to go to another school.
<<record scratch>>
I was not prepared for this. Suddenly I was thrust into the world of applications and paperwork and testing and the next thing you know, they’d gotten into an excellent charter high school.
Now what?
They still had a decision to make. And it had to be made together – I was not about to let them go to different schools, life is hard enough. So they all had to decide whether to stay at their current school or move to the new one.
We sat down with them individually to make a list of pros and cons, and at the end of it, the other school with the clubs and established sports teams and facilities and, let’s face it, the sports teams had a lot to do with it, won out.
So now my babies won’t be donning the familiar red polo and navy shorts (thank god, I’m so sick of buying uniforms) and instead will be picking out their own clothes every day (um I’m sure this will be fine) and taking classes in English (does this mean I’ll have to help them with their homework now?) They’ll also say goodbye to the administrators and teachers and staff who have seen them grow up, literally, from the age of three.
Fortunately, they won’t have to say goodbye to all of their friends. Some are going to the other school as well. And the ones that are staying behind, well, we know where they live.
It’ll be an interesting transition, for sure.
But can we talk about the fact that my babies, who were just born, who were just in strollers, who were just starting first grade, are now going to high school? They’ll be driving in a couple of years (well, in theory) and having crushes and going on dates and growing up and growing apart from me. Which is healthy but I’m barely ready to get rid of the wagon we used to pull them in, much less sending them off to college in four years.
