The First Day of School

I put my little man on the bus today for his first day of first grade. This brings back a lot of memories for me. It was neat to see him dressed nice wearing a back pack. I remember that feeling of excited nervousness for the first day of school like it was yesterday. It makes me think about that first day of school smell which is still fresh in my mind. Sure, after getting a little older, the excited nervousness started to get compounded with dread. One, because "school sucks" and two, because it was depressing to leave behind the fun times of the previous summer. But I think at 6 years old you don't really realize any of that yet. You're just excited about starting something new and to be a year older.

This is my 2nd year in a row of putting him on the bus in the mornings. This is a job I have always complained about, but today I realized that it is more of a privelege than a chore. He and I are making memories together out there. Though brief, and not always fun (anyone ever missed the bus, in the rain?), those few minutes at the bus stop make me remember those days when my mom saw me off at the bus stop. I remember feeling how much I was going to miss her as I waved and the bus drove away. I hope he is feeling the same about me when he pulls away.

I think having kids is the closest thing we can get in real life to time travel. Those kids run around, play tag, have races, etc. just like we did. They all yell "BUS!" when they see the bus coming and scurry to grab the book bags and lunch bags they had flung on the ground earlier. For those few minutes in the morning I am transported to the end of Gilston Park road,1982 in my mind.

So I thank my wife, for allowing me to be his father. I have dropped the word "step" from "stepson" when I use it in conversation now. And I thank the little man for unknowingly giving me the chance to be a kid again in my mind for those few minutes every morning.