Are we getting graded on this?

My entire life, I've operated on some variation of a "School Calendar"...first my own education, following the traditional K-12 schema, then the semester-plan of college and graduate school, and finally my professional life...in which I have worked at either an elementary school or a college! I point this out because for me, September 1st has always been a time of beginnings and resolutions, much more than the cold, dark middle-of-Winter when we're supposed to make changes and improvements. I mean c'mon, you've got fresh pencils and notebooks, new clothes and shoes, a different teacher and classmates--it's like an exhilarating Fall Makeover every year (or is that just me? sometimes it's hard to tell if everyone else indulges their Inner Geek like I do)!

So here we are at the starting line of another academic year, motivated to meet whatever goals we set, and poised for success. And how would we characterize our expectations at this early point in the long school process? I'd have to say our Plan can be summarized in one simple phrase: Baby Steps. (Although to be honest, "Plan" is a bit of a fancy term for the proceedings...since I'm the only one who invests the time and energy to ponder the September Self-Help Agenda, and therefore am also the only one who even knows about it. In that case, I guess I'm using the "Royal We" and dragging the boys along whether they wish to participate or not!) The most obvious Family Objective was to adjust to the new waking-up-and-getting-out schedule. For the first time, Derek and Riley would be attending separate schools, catching different buses, and adhering to distinct timelines in the morning. I had this ambitious, enthusiastic idea that I would now rise earlier in the morning, to check in with Derek before he left for Middle School. We would bond over coffee! We would have quality chats in the quiet kitchen! And it did happen...for exactly one day. On the first day of school I managed to be That Mom--you know, the awake, alert, dressed-for-work, pulled-together one--at the bus stop at 7:30...and then that was quite the end of that, thank you very much. I was quickly reminded that chipper and conversational are not normal descriptors of me in the pre-8:00 hour, whether caffeinated or not. Besides, when Derek arrives home at 3:00, I'm the only one here, and Afternoon Quality Time counts just as much (I rationalized). Also, he gets to spend uninterrupted a.m. moments catching up with Dad. Whew, one resolution out the window!

The next Opportunity for Growth (sounds more positive and less painful that way, yes?) sprung from my sudden realization that I have been coddling my kids a little too much. I suppose I can partially attribute it to my own Type-A perfectionist tendencies, but it dawned on me that I'm still doing almost everything for the boys (because I do it best! no wait, I'm trying to break the habit!) Neither of them has ever had a fixed list of chores they are expected to accomplish; it's always been more of a "Spontaneous Request Formula" where Husband or I assign a job at any given moment and it is expected to be done immediately. Well, no more! Those cushy days of freedom and irresponsibility are O-V-E-R! Of course, we're not subjecting them to a Boot Camp-like experience, where they must rise in the pre-dawn and complete their jobs before breakfast. We're talking more like: empty the wastebaskets a few times a week; bring the garbage and recycling cans to the curb and back; make their own lunches for school (YEEEESSSS! FINALLY!); and help fold and put away the laundry. You can see we've started small, so as to ease them into the new framework, while hopefully minimizing complaints and maximizing cooperation. For the most part, it's gone remarkably smoothly...except for the one isolated incident in which Derek (exercising his First Amendment Right to Freedom of Speech, obnoxious-Middle-Schooler-style) stared me down with folded arms and a severe expression and declared, "I refuse to accept the burden of responsibility that has been laid on me!" Oh, really? Get back to folding the napkins, goober! Or there'll be no chow for you!

I harbor high hopes that as we enter September, Team WestEnders will continue to meet or exceed expectations, setting the bar ever higher as we go. Hmm...next up: we teach the boys to perform yard work! Whoo hoo!