Last week, Miss 11 was on a school camp for 3 nights. She arrived back on Friday – pretty tired from early starts and late nights chatting to friends.
Even though she’s not the “noisy” one in our family, the house definitely felt empty and our family missing a piece…
It was strange driving Little Miss 10 to school today. I hadn’t driven that route since last year and nearly forgot where I was going.
But it was strange for me because it was lonely.
Little Miss 11 has started High School, so Wifey and I have split the drop off duties since the 2 schools are in different directions. This morning it was just me and Little Miss 10. I was missing the friendly or sometimes antagonistic banter between the girls. And to think it will be like this for the next 2 years!
I carried her schoolbag – heavy with all her brand new, freshly covered exercise books, absolutely clean and not dog-eared text books and labelled stationery – to her class and then watched with a smile as she unpacked it all proudly into her desk and chair bag.
And this, everyone, is as tidy and clean as it will ever be 🙂
My little Miss 10 goes on her first school camp next week!
Little? Well maybe not so little.
As per usual, the teacher has asked if any parents would be interested in going on camp to help.
Of course! I’d love to!
But you know what? Miss 10 doesn’t quite think the same way. Nor does Wifey!
No… you don’t want to have your “Dad” at your first school camp (and last for Primary School). That would be wayyyyyy so daggggy! And it’s her time to shine and take another step at independence, so it’s best that I’m not there.
*sigh*
At least I know Miss 9 is still extremely excited about having me around in public.
I asked her the other day if she wanted me to come up to her classroom to see her new seating position and she beamed a huge smile and gleefully said “Yes!”. When I peeked in, she saw me and did her cute little wave at me and then came to give me a kiss. I’ll cherish this as long as I can!
One of the joys of being a parent is walking your child into school. Especially when they’re super young, like in Kindy or Year 1. It’s such a proud moment – your child all dressed up in the school uniform, holding your hand. You saying goodbye to them.
Unfortunately those days just don’t last.
Little Miss 10 does NOT want me to hold her hand on the times I walk her to school.
I still remember the first time it happened last year. We parked the car on the roadside. I held her little hand to walk her in. But when we got the school grounds in sight of other kids, she shook my hand off and took a step away from me. Well, it’s daggy now right?
Now she even complains that I walk her down. She moans, “Daaaadd.. why can’t you just drop us in the drive through?”
I wonder if the number of metres that I’m allowed to be seen near her at school will increase as her age increases. In High School, she’ll probably want me to drop her off around the block or in an adjoining suburb.
Luckily Miss 8 hasn’t quite reached that stage of parental embarrassment yet. I have a few more months to treasure 🙂
This morning, our 7yo didn’t want to get out of bed.
“I don’t want to go to school!” she complained.
“Why?”
Silence.
“Is there something you don’t like at school?”
“We have to do maths for the rest of the week. I don’t like maths.”
“What are you learning in maths?”
“We’re doing takeaways, like when you go shopping, how much money you have left.”
“That’s important baby.. you have to learn that so you can go shopping.”
“No I don’t. I can still go shopping,” she replies in a sing-song whining voice.
It just seemed like yesterday when I, myself, was in school and had days that I wanted to wag school! And now, I’m having to convince my kids that they need to go to school and learn maths.
WHHHYYY?? Does being a parent mean having to get your kids to do the things that you yourself didn’t want to do when you were a kid?
I so wanted to take the day off with her, bring her to the cinemas for a movie, maybe going to Leederville for lunch, go for a walk or cycle then an icecream by the beach… but… I have to go work…
Puppy School! Wow haven’t been to one of these before. We brought our mini schnauzer, Django, to his first puppy school on Wednesday. Actually, the whole family went. We heard that it’s really training for the owners, not the dog, so it was important that we all went, including the kids.
To make things more busy, we organised Django to have his 12 week immunisation shot just before class too.
Anyways, it was all good. It’s so awkward how these things start, introducing yourself and your dog, etc. There must be a better way 🙂 Django was really good throughout, not terrorising other dogs, but still being confident.
Well, looking forward to the next one. Only problem is that it clashes with lindyhop dancing class 😦 *sigh*
One guy, three girls... 