Back to School

In just a few short weeks it will be back to school for children aged 4 and up. No matter the age, the important thing is that they'll be going back to school.

I have 3 daughters I love more than life itself but when they were children I counted the moments each August until the day after Labor Day when my little darlings would spend most of the day from Monday to Friday in school. I'd close the door on their little backs at 8:45 A.M. and have blessed freedom until noon when they'd all come home for lunch. An hour of bedlam and then they'd head back to school and not return until 4:15 P.M. Those hours and minutes will forever be deeply imbedded into my brain.

In those days, teachers didn't take refresher courses during the school year. It was felt that anything new they needed to learn could be done over the 2 months summer hiatus they enjoyed. There was no such thing as a "snow day". If you could wade through the snow you were expected to get to school...just like getting to work for most of the world.

I remember the hush that fell over the house as the door closed behind my treasures on that long awaited day after Labor Day. It was palpable. When I ventured outdoors later in the morning even the neighborhood was serene. How strange to be outside in the warm sunshine and not hear the screeches of little children coming from almost every house on the block. It was really nice.

By 4:15 P.M. I'd had enough of the peace and quiet and couldn't wait to see my children. They'd storm into the house bringing me evidence of what they'd learned that day, pictures they'd painted, stories of their hours away from home. The house would come alive once more.

Still, I remember how much I enjoyed 8:46 A.M. the day after Labor Day back in the 1970's. Sigh!!