Then and Now

Ten years ago, I was sending my Kindergartener off to school. As we drove past his old elementary school today on the way to take him to start his 10th grade year at his high school downtown, I couldn't help but think of several comparisons of then and now.

Then:

• When he stood on the front steps, he barely came up to the door handle.
• We drove him to school on that day, too, but we parked and took him inside to his classroom. We stayed for a few minutes, as was appropriate for parents in that grade, and made sure he was settled.
• I remember that August 17, 2000, was the HOTTEST day of the year. Probably pretty close to how it felt outside today.

Now:

• He stands a lot taller on the front step these days. In fact, he can probably reach up to the top of the doorframe without any effort.
• We drove to school, but had a lot longer than a half mile to go today, since his school is in downtown Nashville. We enjoy the drive together, though, and have figured out the best route to avoid the worst traffic (and make the commute less stressful for me).
• Today as I pulled up in front of the school to drop Daniel off (notice that there's no taking your kid into the building in high school), he was already spotting people he knew and as he got out of the car I could hear him calling out to his friends. When I stopped at the red light, I looked back just in time to see several people run over and give him a hug. A happy reunion after the summer break!
• One thing that has stayed the same after all these years is the amount of paperwork they send home on the first day of school. Who made the rule that parents need homework??? So many forms to fill out . . . can't they just get that info from last year's forms?
• And speaking of homework, the intensity and volume of that has changed over the years, and I'm sure that come Monday, Daniel's backpack will be heavy when he comes home from school.
• Oh, and one more difference to note: Looks like Daniel will be taking the MTA bus home from school this year, due to a change in the schedule of a friend's parent. Daniel never had to ride the district school busses, since we lived so close to the elementary school and he went to a magnet middle school, so doing the bus thing will be a new adventure this year.