So long, farewell...

We interrupt our Blogpost to bring you this Special Announcement...the school year...is...O-V-E-R! (and the crowd goes wild, thank you for playing along). Now, in any given June, this very important day arrives just in the nick of time...to save our sanity. The weather is warmer, the pool beckons, the brains are chock-full of...learning and whatnot...in short, the Natives are Restless (and I do mean that literally--for the past week or so, the boys have been pacing like caged wild animals, impatiently waiting to be sprung loose out into the unsuspecting world). The end of this particular academic year brought with it some additional hoopla (beyond the customary "Hallelujah, We're Free" Song and Happy Dance that usually occur). Derek just wrapped up 5th-grade, meaning that he's officially completed Elementary School, and will be moving on to Middle School in the Fall.

While I realize this event doesn't hold the same significance as, say, High School Graduation (obviously Derek won't be experiencing the whole "becoming an Adult and going off to College" thing at age 11), it stirred up a surprising amount of nostalgia and a touch of sadness as well. The emotions started emerging a little bit when I realized that we've lived in our house since Derek was (again, literally) a mere zygote--we found out I was pregnant two weeks after moving in. (which explains why I was so exhausted lugging all those boxes--alas, too late for me to utilize the "delicate condition" excuse!) He has attended the same Elementary School from Kindergarten through 5th grade, six...long...years. There's never another time in his life when that will happen. He's been climbing onto the same bus, filing in a (mostly) orderly line down the same hallways, eating in the same cafeteria, playing at recess with many of the same friends--and all that's about to change radically.

But first, we marked the Rite of Passage with a 5th-grade Memories Ceremony. Derek groused for DAYS about the "dress code" for this shindig. Imagine, the teachers decreed that the boys had to wear khakis and collared shirts! The nerve of them! (They told the girls what to wear as well, but I'm sure that was completely unnecessary; it was for the young men they felt the need to spell out proper attire...as in not t-shirts, shorts, or jeans!) Then he spent some quality time alternately complaining about and mocking the song they were being forced to perform (something about "soaring like an eagle, up to the stars" or similar sentimental silliness). However, he perked up considerably when a classmate created "alternative lyrics" that the boys muttered under their breath to amuse themselves during rehearsals..."like an eagle I will poop on your car". (Yep, they're totally ready for the next step up in maturity. Oh, and I threatened dire consequences if he sang that during the actual solemn, dignified occasion).

On the day of the assembly, I took my seat with the other moms and dads. Some had tissues and looked weepy already. (Not me! I was holding it together!) Some appeared relieved that their offspring had successfully finished 5th-grade. ALL had film or video cameras at the ready to capture the pomp and circumstance. When the students filed in and took their places, I saw Derek (average-height, therefore tucked into the middle of the pack of 100-or-so kids) craning his neck to locate me. So I did what any mother would do in this situation: I waved vigorously. And my typical-pre-adolescent-boy grinned happily, then apparently remembered he was supposed to be "cool" and ducked his head in embarrassment. (Hey, I refrained form jumping up and down, windmilling my arms and yelling, HI, SWEETIE! What more can he ask?) The rest of the show was typical commencement stuff--awards, "certificates of achievement" for all the students, remarks by the Principal to send them on their way. All of which led us closer to the real celebration immediately afterwards: Cookies in the Courtyard! (One somewhat startling revelation: in the Program, they were officially identified for the first time as The Class of 2018. YIKES! That makes it seem much more...imminent and scary, yes? Okay, for me, anyway.)

So, off we went to socialize and bid farewell to the 5th-grade staff (at least for the first time, I will be doing this again in three years with Riley). It was a normal gathering: the parents mingled, the girls stood in packs laughing and chatting...and the boys climbed the trees, shoved each other down the hill, chased one another around, and held contests to see who could cram the most brownies in their mouths at once. (Such proud moments for those of us who produced the little monsters...) Finally, the excitement wound down, and we were ready to take our leave. For Derek, the first six years of his education are behind him, and he's setting out for new frontiers. For Riley and me, it's See You in September! Now let the Summer games begin!