School..Yeah!..Right?

So tomorrow is the start of First Grade for Liam. Natalie still has another week before preschool starts. I can't believe the summer is over. It was such a surreal summer for me. I wonder how the kids will remember it (and maybe I should hope that Natalie won't remember it). For weeks now I have been saying I can't wait for the start of school, but I realized yesterday that having Liam go to school really won't lighten my load any, considering he is the non-crying child who can actually be helpful with the other two.

As I came to this realization, I also had a huge wave of guilt that Liam probably didn't enjoy his summer much (thinking to the time earlier in the week when he was walking around with his hands over his ears chanting "la la la la...I wish I had earplugs" while Natalie was wailing away) and I found myself just wishing I could start it over and give him more fun, more pool time, more bike riding, and less family angst. Ahhhh, mother guilt.

Since I can't give him a new summer full of fun and no family adjustment adjustment issues, I took him out for a morning jaunt with just the two of us. Something I haven't done in too long. It was wonderful. I think Liam must have missed the one-on-one time too, because from the moment we were in the car until the moment we got back home he talked. I am apparently his go-t0 person for deep questions and long-winded explanations (I answer his deep questions and then he explains in depth about miscellaneous things that I might have been wondering myself, for example how to get past certain video game levels). We fed turtles, ducks, and fish, we took pictures of ourselves, and he held my hand the entire time we walked. We are definitely going to plan more of these mother/son outings.

I guess I will console myself with the fact that even though Liam starting school doesn't necessarily make my day easier, it hopefully will make his a little more fun as he can interact with his friends.