Monday, August 18, 2008

Walk Like A Man


My oldest son started high school today. He's fine with it of coarse, but I am flipping. I am okay with the fact that he is three inches taller than me. It's okay (as long as he's not a wise ass) that he is smarter than me. I am not one of those Dads that doesn't want his kids to be better than him. I want them to be WAY better than me. He's at that age, and I can no longer protect him. He's learned all he wants to learn from me. The world is going to do the teaching from here on out.

I remember my first day at Ft. Pierce Central. I was 5'2", a buck-o-five soaking wet, and I got off the bus with a sign on my chest that read: "Please screw with me, I have no freaking idea what I am doing."
My brother Chris was there, and proceeded to bully the whole school on my behalf, bypassing long lines, and getting me to my first class. It was one of the many times he came through for me, but I am not sure I was ever more grateful to have him boss me around, then I was that day.

When I get home today, I'll run through the house to find him. I will ask what it was like, and he will say:


Fine, uh.... I'm in the middle of a game Dad.



W.B.Z.N.


8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Uh huh, my dork alarm went off today too as I dropped off baby-girl to her first day of school. She met a bunch of new friends and immediately slotted in to color.

When you get home, add this to your query: "hey, me and all my blog friends want to know how your first day at HS went...?"
He'll think: "my dad is sooo cool!"

reverend dick said...

I'm right there with you. My little girl (11yo) starts 6th grade in 3 days. Here in Cali 6th (12yo on average),7th (13yo) and 8th (14yo...with 11-12 yo? wtf?!?) are all packed together for middle school. This does not sit well with me.

Human Wrecking Ball said...

Middle school was sooo scary. The kids are all so big of the sudden.
It's all hard and it never ends. I don't think anything was as hard as the first day of day care.
Well I have to go, wheel of fotune is on now and it's "pudding night" here at the retirement home.

Ms. Moon said...

Oh, Papa. He'll be fine. How any of us survived those days is a mystery but most of us did and he will too. Don't kids just tug the heart, though? Don't they?

RickySilk said...

That last line is classic.

Anonymous said...

My girl saw her first day of middle school today. She fidgeted between me and the wife until midnight last night. We walked her into school this morning, she wanted us to stay till the bell rang but we were the only parents around. She said hi to a friend, we pushed her over to start talking, she never looked back. We found her after school on cloud 9.

Mingo

sasquatch said...

My daughter started her sophomore year. Came home saying all the kids were too "scene" and worried about losing their "edge." They said if you drink, or have sex, or smile, or really do anything but break somebody's nose in the mosh pit, you're not "edge." Then she said they made a mosh pit out of 3rd period World History class. Before she said that I was thinking to myself, "If drinking and having sex are bad for your edge, sister, then I'm all for your edge. Let's hear it for you edge." But then when I heard they made a mosh pit in World History, I said, "They did not!!" and she said, "O.K., they didn't, but still, they might as well have..." This could be a long, confusing year.

Juancho said...

The moshpit commenced with the review of the Bolshevik Revolution no doubt.