School Days

Joe-Joe (aka "DJ," which doesn't really fit him as much as it used to; we don't even call him that anymore. "Joe-Joe"? Yes, often...) anyway, Joe-Joe started something new this school year.

He's attending an academy one day a week with other homeschoolers. Following in the footsteps of Mem & Big-E.

It's been a small adjustment for us both. A good thing ~ but since this is me I'm writing about, there's been a bit of grief squished up in there as well. Because one day a week equals another step out into the world, another step into "too big to sit in my mom's lap," another step into being grown.

It's a good thing, but good things are sometimes painful as they unfold.

I sometimes want to sell my youngest two to the first gypsy caravan, but the feeling is brief, fleeting... false. Because honestly I love them too much, so much that I sometimes think I can't breathe.

I digress...

So he started Academy.

The first day was a bit nerve-wracking, new for him, new for me in that it was him I was dropping off. I went in with him for his first day, showed him around, made sure he knew where things were, sat with him through opening assembly.

The hard part? Watching him walk out with his class as they went back for first period. He was nervous, unsure; and I was gripping the seat bottom to not get up & walk with my arm around him. He would've hated that. So I gripped and prayed.

Today? He was ready to go! He now is an old-pro, this second time around. I pulled up at the front door ("No need to come in, Mom" was the unspoken rule). As he climbed out of the front seat with a heavy backpack, I "casually" told him to have a good day, that I loved him and would miss him.

The yummy? He climbed back in that van and gave his mom a full contact hug (oh yes he did!). Still young enough to not think twice about showing affection to mom. My heart overflow-eth!

Picked him up this afternoon, got the stories from the day. The best one was saved for last:

"I got to dissect a bee today!"

"A bee? Wow!" A bee? Already? I thought they'd do that in 7th grade or something. 4th-graders dissecting little tiny bees?

"They'd been soaked in vinegar!"

Interesting... I guess to kill off the germs from the dead body? Dk...

"Then I got to eat it!"

"What? Did your teacher know you'd eaten it?"

"Oh yeah! She said it'd probably be pretty gross, but it was okay to go ahead, so I did... It tasted nasty and I spit it out in the bathroom."

Well duh... of course it was gross. A BEE? Really? Who is his science teacher again? Is that okay? Could that have made him sick? Should I make a big deal out of this? Cuz I did eat that chocolate-covered ant in 6th grade. Maybe today they're eating bees outta vinegar...

Then Joe-Joe went on to describe it a bit more to Jake, who was with us. The light bulb went off: A BEAN!! He said a BEAN!! Good grief.

Between his stuffy nose and my 47-year-old ears and the van windows rolled down, no wonder...