Eight Minutes Til School (and ten other random facts)

Fact #1: Daisy has started saying “dope,” and I’m an old lady who’s like, “Kids these days and their horrible vocabulary!” (Kind of how my mother-in-law reacts when I say something “sucks”). 

Now I hear, “This is dope!” and “That is dope!” all day long, and I just want to go back to my childhood when things were simply “cool” or “awesome,” and if you were feeling wild, “tubular” (but only in kindergarten because “tubular” wore out as we transitioned from the 80’s to the 90’s).

Fact #2: Nicky went back to school today for the first time since the shooting. The day after the shooting there was no school because it was the end of the semester. Then last week they did online learning due to COVID. It was really good timing for the students to have a week at home. I’m anxious to hear how things go at school today. They have grief counselors available, and the school is being monitored closely by district and local police. I’m sure anxiety is running high for many students. Initially it was reported that the suspects were from a rival school, but now it’s been made known that they were actually from our school. We’ve had some good talks with Nicky, and he seems to be handling things okay. 

Fact #3: I feel a bit weird with my kids going back to school. I feel like I did when they went back after our first bout of distance learning - like it’s too good to be true! I don’t dare to get comfortable because I feel like they could be back home any moment. 

Fact #4: Speaking of Nicky, I promised I’d take him driving while he was home from school this past week. On Friday morning (while traffic was mild) I took him out on the “busy” roads for the first time. He had his first experiences with stoplights, passing lanes, and speed limits over 35 mph. 

Fact #5: It’s amazing how much I’ve overlooked about learning how to drive since it’s second-nature to me. I had to explain blind spots and how to use the mirrors and how to position the car in the lane. I forget that we aren’t born with this knowledge. Then I took Nicky to the gas station and made him pump gas, and he had no clue what he was doing, and it was just so funny! There is so much to teach him, and I’m kind of dying inside at the thought of having to do any of this with my daughters.

Fact #6: Things you don’t want to hear your kid say while he's driving:

“Oops, wrong pedal!”

“I’m only going ten over!”

“Stop being a passenger seat driver!”

Fact #7: I think I'm a pretty chill passenger seat driver (at least with Nicky - I won't be with the girls), but maybe I'm mistaken.

Fact #8: Multiple times a day Zoe begs me to take her to get a COVID test. I've asked her if she is worried about COVID, and she says, "No, I just want to know if I have it." I think she sees it as some sort of status symbol now because last week there was so much discussion with her school friends about who's had it and who hasn't. I think she wants to know which club she's a part of. 

Fact #9: For a while I’ve been able to really enjoy the phase of life I’m in. My kids are old enough to stay home on their own, so I don’t have to find babysitters very often anymore, and I quite enjoy that perk! But for the past three months or so, Zoe and Eva have gone apeshit (sorry, I can’t think of a better word for it). They can’t be left at home together without a parent because they will beat the living daylight out of each other, and I can’t put the burden on Nicky and Daisy to supervise them in those circumstances. We’re kind of at our wits end with them. 

Fact #10: My gray hair has increased ten-fold in the past three months. It's almost taken over my entire hairline. I feel like the amount of gray in my hair is appropriate for 45, not 38. I'm too old for "dope" but too young for gray hair. It's a strange place to be.