Box Tops

The inspiration for this blog came days ago, but since it was late at night, I jotted down the main ideas, and put it aside for when I had time. Today, I visited Discovery Place with the boys, and my experience prompted me to go ahead with it.

Mason is always drawn to the attraction that allows the kids to use pulleys and weights to move piles of pellets from one place to another. Apparently every other kid in the Charlotte-Metro area attending camp this week, is too. I watched him try to elbow his way into the sea of bright green t-shirted camp kids (all of who were bigger than he was), trying to get one shot at the pulley, or rope... none of them budging, or sharing, and most of the camp counselors were oblivious. Mason came to me in frustration, and I told him- "Just ASK them, if you can play when they are finished, that way, they know you're waiting." Sometimes, it worked, and sometimes, I could tell the brutish kids were only giving up their spot momentarily, because I was standing there. It was a free-for-all. And I wondered how kindergarten is going to be.

Last week, Mason attended swim lessons for the first time. His instructor, Miss Sara, had also been his preschool teacher, and wisely requires that parents leave their children for the hour long lessons. This allows the kids to learn, without a crutch or distraction of a parent. I won't lie. As I left that first day, another Mom and I discussed the worries of leaving your child in a 3 foot inground pool of water without YOUR supervision. It's a little hard letting go.

But later, I realized, Kindergarten might be worse. Letting my little boy jump into a pool of "piranhas" wearing pig-tails, backpacks, and i-pod minis. I am of the realization that not everyone out there is trying to raise their kids to be respectful, kind and polite to others- and some of those kids will probably chew others up and spit 'em out. How will he deal with the mean ones? And worse, would he BE one?

School is going to be a whole new ball-game from this end. After all, I just got out myself, didn't I? Oh wait, that was 12 years ago. Yikes. And now, I'm clipping every Campbell's Soup Label, Box Top for Education, and Tyson Proof of Purchase- in the hopes that it might score a few extra brownie points of teacher approval. All the while, realizing that 10 Box Tops only equal $1, and some Mom, somewhere, is writing a check for $500- no sweat.

So why do all that? Because he's entering a whole new phase of his life, and I'd love to make it as smooth as possible- we all survived it right? But, I'm scared, he's not. Maybe the Box Tops will count for something. So if you have any extra, feel free to throw them our way.