Back-to-school party

My oldest boy, Cameron, is headed back to school tomorrow. Not only that, but he starts Grade 1, which is a pretty big deal when you're accustomed to calling it a day at 11:30 a.m. and everything that happens outside of the kindergarten wing is cloaked in mystery.

Cam has taken a while to get comfortable with the notion of being in Grade 1. He doesn't yet know how to read and some of his friends do, so he's been concerned that he's not "proper for Grade 1." A little pomp and ceremony have been required to nudge him from plain old nervous to nervous excitement.

I wrote last week about the transitions that September brings, some of them welcome, some of them, not so much. Suffice it to say we both needed something to give Labour Day some shape, mark the end of summer on a high note and welcome the start of school.

We decided on a back-to-school lunch at noon. This way everyone could have a leisurely meal and good long play and still get to bed on time. (You could do this with school-bus themed invitations and a school-bus cake, but this was planned on short-notice, which I think is the easiest and lowest-pressure way to throw a party.)

I didn't feel like manning the barbecue all day, and I wanted to be able to talk to my friends, so I made platters of sandwiches (school-lunch theme, right?) that I could pull out of the fridge when guests were assembled. Along with a selection of other kid-friendly snacks, Irene's veggie tray and a plate of watermelon, this was all that was needed.

 

(Unfortunately, 2-year-old Alister sidled up to this tiered snack tray when I was busy setting up, and polished off the chips.)

It was a gorgeous day, so the backyard was the perfect place to gather.

 

Left to right, that's Alister (he's not going back to school), Maddie, Davis, Ella (who declared her intention to marry Davis several times during the party), Cameron and Emerson.

The kids had plenty of opportunity to burn off some last-day-of-summer energy...

...sliding...

...climbing...

...colouring...

and playing "Octopus." (Octopus? Cameron explains: "One person is the octopus and they say 'run!' and if you get touched, you're seaweed.")

Naturally, all of this requires refreshments...

Of one kind,

Or another.

Because after keeping kids entertained through nine weeks of summer vacation,

the grown-ups deserve a little fun, too.

Hurray!

Naturally, the centrepiece of this sort of gathering is always the cake (who doesn't like cake?).

 

I swung by Baskin-Robbins late Sunday afternoon and selected this ice cream cake from the few left on the shelf. I asked the young man helping me if someone could pipe the words "Back to school!" on top.  He said yes, but added, "I dunno why anyone would want to celebrate THAT." He then proceeded to spell it S-H-C-O-O-L. The above is his fix-it job.

It went over Okay.

 

 

But the important part is that, by dinnertime, Cameron had declared that he was now more excited than nervous, and that going into Grade 1 "makes me feel so much bigger."

And that's the point.

Have a great first day of school.

Comments

[Tony]

To Cameron … Good luck and hope you enjoy your first day of school (I’ll bet that huge smile on your mom’s face is because she’s so proud of you!)

To Brandie … Soak it all up like a giant sponge and hold those precious memories and beautiful images for life. Your “September” New Year’s words offer an optimism that should help parents like myself who have kids at the other end of the age-spectrum … who’ve just left home for the first time for college/university. Not only have we hit a BIG bump in the road of life but our “life-road-map” itself has disappeared. That old familiar “September 1st” routine for the past 12 years has vanished and we find ourselves lost … how do you find your bearings and get back on course for being a parent when you have no “kid” around?

I think you have the right answer Brandie … “The job is to fall in love again with September. To imagine things that will feel right”. Yes that’s it … not easy, but yes that’s the right thing to do. September means a new beginning. It’s our childrens’ New Year’s Day for truly starting on life’s road to adulthood. And it’s our New Years Day as parents for feeling good about ourselves and for our children and to recognize and be happy about all the potential that the coming school year holds for our young adult children.

To those parents like myself … Be patient, be supportive, be yourself … it will all come together and work out just fine in good time. Make a conscious effort to let any sadness in your heart be replaced by a smile on your face and be proud of what your son or daughter has achieved in their efforts to pursue a higher education!

Tony (Jade’s dad), Penetanguishene

(Here’s hoping Kris’s story makes “ink”, wink-wink … we’re into September now and time is running out for our daughter’s high school, PSS … this is a great opportunity for The Star to spread “the news” and give the community an obliging step up by informing as many PARENTS as your newspaper can reach on our daughter’s campaign, together with her community’s, to save her school from closure,
http://www.midlandmirror.com/midlandmirror/article/144375
Brandie, there’s 600 kids at PSS whose wish for next year is, “To keep my school open “And to own my old New Year” ”.)