Summer goes, summer goes...

Summer goes, summer goes
Like the sand between my toes
When the waves go out
That's how summer pulls away,
Leaves me standing here today,
Waiting for the bus.
--Some random "back to school" poem that I just googled

Hey kids,

So Jakob and I leave the house at about the same time these days. ("These days"... meaning yesterday and today). Me to work, Jakob to school. Kindergarten. I sat there at my computer today, working my ass off, and I finally get around to looking at the clock. I'm tired, I'm getting pissy, I can't wait for the day to end. And it's only 2 p.m. I almost melt into a puddle thinking that you still have an hour and a half left to go. I realize I've made an awful mistake. Six and a half hours is far too long for a five-year-old boy to be stuck at school.

I mean, isn't it?

You qualified for all-day kindergarten, cuz you need the extra time and attention to work on your speech and language, so when all the other kindergartners go home at lunchtime, all the other all-day kids condense into one classroom and you continue for another three hours of schooling.

It was explained to us at back-to-school night that the morning session was heavy on the academics (!) and the afternoon session was more laid-back and fun. For your sake, I hope so. I'm starting to second-guess myself here. Especially today, when you ALSO had a soccer practice.

I guess kids all over the world have schedules like this, but it seems pretty hectic to me.

The worst thing about all of this, is I'm not included in any of the fun. As I leave for work, that's when daddy and Wavy walk you to the bus stop to wait for the bus. When I came home from work today, the house was empty because you were all out at soccer practice. All I get is the stories of your masterful soccer derring-do out on the pitch.

I'm thinking I'll go into work a little later tomorrow, so I can walk you out to the bus. Why should daddy get all the fun?

You came home with a bunch of paperwork in your backpack that we have to sign and send back. One was a flyer telling us that you guys say the Pledge of Allegiance every morning (*that's* okay with me, I guess...) and then following that, you all observe 30 seconds of silence (per NRS 388.075).

Wha!?!?

I had to google that. I guess the rest of the outside world probably already knows about this NRS 388.075, but it's the first I've ever heard of it. Smacks of prayer, without out-and-out calling it prayer. Or at least a compromise, in case kids choose to use their 30 seconds to meditate or chant. (But this is Nevada. Nobody chants or meditates in Nevada!) So looks like between now and when *I* was mumbling my way through the Pledge every morning, the separation between church and state was eroded away to rotting cheesecloth.

I make noises like I'm some big radical, flag-waving dissident, but I'm not really. I just like to make noise.

All right. Project Runway is on. Kids are asleep. All is right with the world. Sleep tight, love you.