The Fruit of the Murphy Loins moved up in school this year; one started high school and the other started middle school. I don’t know if the change is more wrenching for them or me. OK, me. My father, shortly after my daughter first started school, mentioned that the drumbeat of time was at the loudest and steadiest when your kids were in school. And the drums are beating quite loudly and quickly these days. I was at my maudlin best when telling my daughter, after her first day of orientation, that she had taken a big step on the road to independence and leaving the nest (and me) behind.
I don’t worry about the Fruit as much as my wife, but I do worry. I just try to take the occasional day off from worrying. I was nervous about my son, as he didn’t have many friends on his “team”. While he wouldn’t comment beyond the standard “fine”, he was full of spunk after his first day, so I’m worrying a lot less. I figure if things had gone poorly, he would have been hangdog. It seems the excitement of the new school with its expanded opportunities is beating the friends thing; I just hope he makes new ones before the novelty wears off.
My daughter went to “Spirit Night”, and made it clear that she preferred that her parents not attend. So we didn’t. The school held an orientation meeting for us parents earlier in the week, and the principle invited us to come up to school anytime. Why, it was fine with the administration and faculty if we came to freshman orientation the next day if we so desired, but he doubted our child would ever forgive us. I have come to terms with the fact that I’m a huge source of embarrassment to my daughter, if only because it’s the best form of discipline I have, as in threatening to hug her if she doesn’t behave in public or call up her friends and tell them how much I love her if she doesn’t behave in private. She hasn’t risked it yet, probably because she knows I would.
