by Patti
In 12 days, S goes back to school - as a SIXTH GRADER. Yes, I have already mostly managed to work through the fact that my baby - the one I fed from my bosom for far too long; the one that cried out for me night after night after night after night after... you get the sleepless picture; the one whose legs would go into a frenzied, happy delirium whenever I simply walked into a room; the one who asked me to read her just one more story; the one who still holds my heart unlike any other human being has ever managed to do. Yes, that one. And I guess, in my struggle to work through all of the emotions that come with having a real, live middle-schooler, I kind of forgot to buy school supplies.
S has been begging me since she graduated fifth grade two and a half months ago to please, oh please, buy her those school supplies. "You always wait 'til the last minute, Mom!" And though it pains me to admit it: I do. So after several weeks of prodding and poking and nagging, and whined-out-loud fears that she would be the only kid in 6th grade with no school supplies, I finally MOM made the trek today to do the deed I dreaded all summer. As of now and a mere $100 later, her school supplies are neatly unpacked, labeled, and repacked into little take-to-school bags, ready to be carried through the halls and into the lockers and desks of junior high. The thing I've wondered since I started buying school supplies is this: How on earth are paper towels, Kleenex, and plastic sandwich bags school supplies? I mean, the fact that I had to buy a calculator and $15 13-pocket FOLDERS for crying out loud is bad enough. But I also have to stock the classroom with Kleenex? As wallet-busting as it is, I've learned to accept this fact about school supply shopping, and though it seems suspicious to me that a sixth grader would need 48 #2 pencils, I just buy the stuff. And buy the stuff I did:
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| Take out a second mortgage and get your school supplies! |
S now feels secure that she can embark on her junior high career fully-stocked. The only problem is, I also kind of forgot to register her for the school bus. And school.
I'VE BEEN BUSY.
So I went online to register and was happily amazed that I actually found S's user name and password to log on. But when I got into the ever-so-convenient online registration system, I received an error message telling me that "online registration is not available at this time." I called the school, and was informed that I would have to leave a message for the "computer guy", but that I should be aware that the "computer guy is very busy" and that he "might not" get back to me - but that I should leave him a message anyway. I asked the school lady if I could just pay her over the phone for the bus and school fees, and she told me I should do it online. You know, the ONLINE THAT IS BROKEN. So I asked if I should just come in person to register S, and she told me the office hours, which OF COURSE are only during my work hours. I thought about asking M to handle all of the registration paperwork, but we are talking about a man who can't even remember his mother's name, so there went that option.
12 days away from the start of school, I have $100 in school supplies, and no school in which to use them. I have the feeling S will be very, very annoyed with me if she bounds into school on the first day, her backpack loaded down with expensive calculators and 13-pocket folders, and she is turned away for crimes of procrastination. But first, she will have to work her way onto the school bus, since she is not on the list.
Kid, you're in junior high now. Time to get resourceful.
