That’s it summer is over. The final kid is off to school and I had one, beautiful, quiet morning. As much as I hate them all being gone, as much as I hate listening to the empty echo’s, there is still a part of me that loves reading the morning newsites with a hot, fresh, cup of coffee and no interruptions.
On Monday this happened. Dane bounced out of bed, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, his backpack ready by the door, checked by his big sister, and excited to start the day. I drove him over to the church and dropped him off. Because.
Because he is third grade, and third grade mommies don’t go to Mass with them anymore on the first day. Because Germany does not have separation of church and state and the first day of school always starts in church. It’s pretty cool, all faiths come together for a short ceremony and blessing for all. Then everyone, except the “big” kids mommies, parades over to the school for a short day to get acquainted.
Dane came home in a state of shock after the first day. There were new kids at school. How could there be new kids at school? We have lived in Germany six years, this is the first time he’d had a new kid in his school. Let alone two! Unlike traditional Army brats, we’ve been very fortunate and had a second, consecutive, tour and a high school stabilization. Our kids are used to being the new kids. Except Dane, because in Germany there’s not a lot of moving (it’s super expensive to move), there aren’t a lot of kids moving in or out.
On Tuesday Dane again bounced out of bed, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, backpack ready by the door, checked by mom, and excited to start the day. Cole, however, lay in bed. Burning up with fever, stressing over missing pre-calc and football practice. His first really big Friday Night Lights game is this week. And no practice = benched.
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