I spent the better part of Thursday morning waiting in an auditorium filled with parents and children.  Just my luck, I happened to be seated in the row directly in front of two young ladies who have spent a few years honing their skills to near perfection in “teen speak.” Every now and again, I’d lean over to my daughter and mutter, “If you ever…..”   After the first hour, I was begging for sharp implements with which to stab my eardrums and put me out of my misery.

Thankfully, after another hour, it was our time to move.  Leaving my pointy objects on the chair, we marched up the aisle and through a door that was the beginning of the maze.  Papers would be handed out, shuffled and stamped. Questions asked and answered with surprising friendliness (I give that about four months).  Parents were being turned upside down and shaken for any remaining coin.  We were herded out into a hallway for picture time and then….done.  It was quite painless, except for the ear jabbing.  The only remaining obstacle was the gauntlet of teens and join-our-club tables lining the escape route.  I don’t remember high school being this college-like.  Loud music, bright pieces of paper, oddly enthusiastic students…..it was horrible.  Okay, so it wasn’t that bad but I had a raging headache and would’ve bulldozed right over them if I could have.  Being that I don’t want her labeled the kid with the ”crazy” mom, I behaved and politely made my way through the madness. 

That was my introduction to public school.  I am sending my first baby off to school this year.  Keep in mind my “baby” is now a teenager and has been homeschooled all her life.  She will be attending high school.  Did you hear that?  That was the sound of my stomach splitting in half and dropping into my feet.  

“She’ll be fine.”

That is my sorry attempt to make myself feel better. 

“She is a great kid.”

Sure she is, but what about the other kids?  Visions of the movie ”Mean Girls” dance in my head. 

I know she’ll be okay.  In fact, I think she’ll have fun.  On another note, it’ll be nice to have someone else doing the grunt work.  Teaching her hasn’t always been easy.  She is stubborn and headstrong (where she gets that, I’ll never know..).  I am secretly looking forward to a few “I told you so!” moments.

I’m hoping that I am the one saying, “I told you so.”  More than likely, it’ll be the other way around.