"Bat to School"

The first day of school started out June Cleaver-style,of course. Lots of singing, a beautifully prepared breakfast, 2 shiny-faced, smiling girls in plaid skirts and sparkling shoes. And here's where you hear the proverbial record scratch sound...SCREECH!! And hit replay...

The first day of school started at midnight, because Serena was having trouble sleeping, of course. So, morning came with 2 sleepy-faced girls in pajamas. No singing. No plaid. Bare shuffling feet.

Natalie had asked me to double french braid her hair so it could be "kinky" in the morning. A style we have done many times over the summer, making it a sure thing that it would turn out, right? Wrong. Not when you're 13 and life depends on the perfect hairstyle for the first day of school!! After missing her hot breakfast, she spent the next 30 minutes lamenting over her hair, tears in her eyes to boot. We left the house with straight hair, running 10 minutes behind schedule. It was all I could do to keep myself from saying all the things that were in my head. I kept my travel mug full of coffee, dreaming of the peace I'd find at 8:30 when I arrived back home. Alone.

I spent my day doing my usual housekeeping, including a chocolate chip cookie baking session, a tradition for the first day of school. Nothing a little cookie dough can't fix in a harried mom, right? Talked to my friend for a very long time, did a little exercise. Ahhh...who needs Calgon anyway.

At the end of the school day I picked Nat up first, anxious to hear about her day. "Everyone loves my hair!" She exclaimed, before saying anything else. Oh, to be 13 and have your life be all about hair. I miss those days. Oh, wait, I didn't care about my hair until....well, maybe I never did. She then went on to tell me how great it was to sit at the "round" tables this year, and who sat with her, who this and who that. And how is "actual school", I asked. "Oh, it's the same as last year." And the "who's" aren't?, I secretly wondered.

Serena's pick up was a bit more exciting. She jumped in the van, wearing her black motorcycle jacket, a consignment find that "blew her mind". "How was the first day of sixth grade?" I asked with a mom smile.
"oh, it's the same as last year," she replied, adding, "and everyone loved my hair!" not knowing her sister had just said that same thing. Then she went on to tell me some exciting news.

"Mom, we were just sitting there in homeroom, and all of the sudden, Mrs. X went to her knees, covered her head, and yelled, "AHHH..it's a bird!!" The kids looked around in confusion, then one kid called out, "No, it's not a bird. It's a BAT!" Somehow a bat had made its way into a kid's locker. It then was awakened by that kid, causing it to fly into the hallway and into Serena's homeroom . The janitor came, trash cans in tow, hoping to catch Batman's best friend. Serena laughed as she told me how he chased it around the class, swinging the trash cans in the air. The kids watched in enjoyment rather than in fear, as their teacher cowered under her desk, leaving them to fight for themselves!

And so it goes, we are back to school. Back to crazy schedules. Back to studying. Back to sports, grades, and homework. And me? I'm back to being by myself. Eating bon bons. Watching soaps. Talking on the phone. And pulling all of your legs.