I love back-to-school season. I love it because it means my kids will be back in school and not at home watching too much TV, bickering all day long, and eating us out of house and home. But I also love it because it’s part of my life rhythm. My life is organized into two semester-long chunks and one summer-long chunk. I think and plan in terms of semesters that begin in late August and mid-January and last approximately 16 weeks.
I always tell my kids that it’s exciting to start a new school year because you start out with a clean slate. You have new teachers who (hopefully) don’t know anything bad about you. They don’t know that you talk too much and that you often forget to have your parents sign your reading chart. They don’t know that you get frustrated too easily when faced with a challenging task. Many of the kids in your classes are new as well, so they don’t know about some of your more annoying habits. In short-everyone gets to start over.
My kids haven’t always appreciated this little lecture of mine. For instance, I tried it on Kennedy when she was starting sixth grade in a new city. I tried to pitch her on the whole, “Hey, you can start over! No one will know you!” She looked at me quizzically and said, “But I like myself the way I am.” Oops. Parental fail.
Starting a new school year is a big deal at our house, so we like to mark the occasion. The day before school starts, we make sugar cookie dough and bust out the alphabet/numbers cookie cutters and the kids go to town making whatever message they want to about the new school year. Last year, Marin was a big bad 5th grader, so her cookies read, “I’M a BIG DAWG now.” This year, she’s starting at a new middle school and she’s the low man on the totem pole. So here’s the message she came up with for this year (note: “Marinskarooni” is a nickname she’s had for quite some time):
After making the sugar cookies, the kids spend a couple hours organizing and planning the Back-to-School Fashion Show. They hang a sheet in the entryway into the living room, tape a runway on the carpet, and make a fashion show playlist. They also make paper ballots for Brent and me to vote on our top three outfits for each kid. (This year, Kennedy’s participation was limited to handling the music.) Stuart warned me before starting: “Remember: just because you vote for a certain outfit doesn’t mean that’s what I’m actually going to wear.” And then the show began. I laughed so hard watching Marin and Stuart mimicking Chris Brown (start video at 2:04)–Marin doing “the Dougie” (sp.?) and Stuart rubbing his head–tears were running down my face.
Then the kids go to bed. Kennedy and Marin inevitably stay up too late chattering about what awaits them. They’re tired in the morning, but also excited. Brent gives them what Mormons call a “father’s blessing.” (Yes, only dads give them because the lay priesthood in the Mormon church is limited to males age 12 and up.) Even Mr. Cheap Seats himself still enjoys this tradition and fights back tears as he vocalizes our hopes and wishes for the kids as they start a new school year. We’ve talked about me participating in this ritual, but for some inexplicable reason, I’m okay with witnessing this one. (Shhh . . . don’t tell. I’ve got a reputation to protect.)
So does Back-to-School get any airtime at your house? What do y’all do to mark the occasion?