The First Day Of School

“Mom, can you take Paxton for a haircut? School starts tomorrow. I’m sorry for this last-minute thing. I am taking Brynn for school clothes later today.” Really? No problem. I can do that. If I leave now, I will pick him up and see if we can find a place before my noon meeting, or get it cut afterward.

Of course, he wanted to go to a barber shop. No appointments, and it looked like a long wait. And the barber was crabby! Not going there. Next place was the same. Okay, I know a place. They have an app that you can check in on, and it tells you how long the wait.

Went to the meeting and couldn’t figure out the check-in app, so waited for 45 minutes. We both got in. I had a shampoo that included a scalp massage and a trim. Well worth the experience, and she also sold me a product and my grandson wanted a product too.

When the tip amounts were up on the card screen, he said, “Give her ten?” It is sure easy for the grands to spend grandma’s money. Hubby said, “You should’ve told him the tip was his to pay!” I took his sister for nails twice for her birthday, so it’s his turn.

It is a good thing that the other 6 children aren’t living so close! We have 8 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren living close. The rest are in the Minnesota urban area, with one granddaughter living in Chicago, Illinois.

My cousin, who works in the schools, posted this last night — Watching scary movies today…. preparing myself for tomorrow when our HS kids come back

They’re frightening!

These are the photos I received so far of my grandchildren.

Brynn is much more excited than Paxton. And it has always been that way. Paxton does not like school and he never has. They are both in the sixth grade. Different classrooms. Paxton would stay home with their dogs and chickens all day if he could.

Most of the grands get the professional photos sent to me by their parents whenever that happens. These two haven’t had school pictures for a couple of years, so I asked her to send some from their first day of school.

It is hard to imagine the time when their parents were in school. Their mother is 50, and their dad is 52 right now. Bell-bottoms or flared leg, or elephant leg pants may have been in back then. I know they were in style back in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when I was wearing them.

Then they were popular again in the 1990s and early 2000s. And now again. Funny how the styles change over time and come back for our children and grandchildren.

Then there are sweatpants and hoodies that are warm and comfy. And some of them aren’t very expensive. Even at stores like Old Navy, where they were on sale. The granddaughter had to go there when I told her that she and her younger cousin could pick out one item, and Grandma would cover it.

Six items later, as we were checking out of Old Navy, I was thinking, now how ever did this happen? Then my next thought was that I really don’t mind. This is one of the reasons I keep working, to buy gifts and spend the money that I wouldn’t have without working part-time.

It has been many years now since I started back to school. Teaching is a different experience from going to class, but exciting nonetheless. Meeting all the students and enjoying some of their stories of summer fun. And I haven’t taught in a couple of years now either.

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Authors note: I can’t wait to get school pictures when they get here!! If you have kids in school, please remember us old people who are thrilled to get school pictures of our grandchildren.

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First published by Mercury Press on medium.com