Here is Chloe, the 6th grader.  In a perfect illustration of her straddling both child and teen, she asked Papa and me to accompany her to the bus this morning.  The request was surprising and endearing. About 2/3 of the way there, however, the bubble burst.  We noticed the crowd of kids waiting for the bus.  And the parents were nowhere to be found.  When Chloe saw this, she immediately turned to us and turned us around, physically pushing us back in the direction of the house.   I wanted to cry and laugh at the same time.

Her first day of middle school was decidedly mixed.  Her expectations were so damn high that she was bound to be disappointed.  But I’m optimistic.  It’s a big change for these kids and it will require some time to adjust.

Sophie’s first day of 2nd grade was much more uneventful.  She walked to the bus stop alone, while I followed her in my car.  She was proud of her independence.

Sophie’s teacher seems absolutely lovely, witness the loving note (which accompanied a little bag containing the mentioned objects) she left for each child.  Fingers crossed our little one has a great year.

This evening we took the girls to Staples to buy supplies.  The line for the registers snaked around 1/2 of the perimeter of the store.  And Staples ain’t Disney when it comes to lines.  As I was contemplating the insanity, I realized that when we bought supplies last year, also the first day of school, it wasn’t nearly as crowded because our district started later than most other districts.  This year, we all started at the same time and it was a feeding frenzy.