Small Fish, Big Pond

Today is Cael's first day of school.  Sure, he has spent the last two years preparing himself with preschool classes, but today makes it official.  My boy is growing up.

I was prepared to be emotional about his first day.  Not sad, but overwhelmed, perhaps, by the rapid and unstoppable passing of time that takes me increasingly further from the moment I held that tiny baby in my arms.  But as this day approached, I realized one thing very clearly.

I want him out of this house.

I love the kid with a fierceness that knocks my socks off, but over this past summer he has become lazy and glued to the couch by an oppressive heap of Netflix television shows as well as his one Wii video game, Pitfall.  Within days of the end of the school year, he replaced his interest in reading with an interest in slingshots and Shamans and other digital concepts that outweighed the appeal of fresh air and summertime.

And the noise... oh, the noise!  Graham, while certainly not a saint, is a naturally quiet boy and quick to share or wait his turn.  But with his older brother around the house all of the time and pulling rank with undue authority, my boys have been shouting, whining and assaulting each other relentlessly.

So instead of savoring camp-outs, bonfires and bike rides, I've been counting down the days until school starts and the Wii turns off.  And that day is finally here.

He's ready.  I'm sure of it.  And what's even better is that he is excited about school again.  Yesterday's "Meet and Greet" was successful in acclimating him to his new environment and brushing off some of the nervousness and fear that accompany becoming a small fish in a very big pond.  It made my heart happy to see him embrace this new phase with enthusiasm and renewed energy.

"Mommy!  I love my teacher, she's really nice.  My classroom is cool, too.  Did you see that I have a guinea pig?  And look, Mom!  It's a pause button, just like on Pitfall!  Last time I played, I paused the game right before one of the monkeys..."

We'll turn off the Wii before his birthday.  Christmas, tops.