It's the moooooost wonderful time of the year

School started today, and I've never seen so many giddy parents!

I opened the door to walk Mark to school, and there was a whole parade marching down the street. Clusters of kids with new clothes and new backpacks shuffled slowly down the road, reluctant to reach their final destination. Behind them their parents pushed them onward. "Hurry up," they said, as the children groaned and the other parents laughed.

Even the crossing guard noticed the chipper mood. "It's like a party," she said as our group approached the cross walk.

"I think the parents are happier than the kids," one dad replied, and the crossing guard said, "I was talking about the PARENTS."

The whole school yard was filled with parents and kids. I made Mark stand in front of the school sign so I could take his picture, and I threatened him with multiple shots if he didn't cooperate. "And I'll be loud," I told him. "I'll scream, 'Take another picture for Mama! One more pose! Over here, baby!'"

He just glared at me.

"Or," I said, "You can take one quick picture and I'll leave you alone." I got the shot, and a scowl to go with it.

Mark then trudged across the playground, trying to ditch me. (I marveled at the children who actually clung to their parents--or at least stood by patiently, unembarrassed.) He couldn't find any kids alone, without parents, to play with. So he turned back around, passed me silently, and headed for his classroom.

As soon as he entered the class, the bell rang. We found his seat, complete with a Mark D. name tag, and he explored the inside of the empty desk. "Whoa, this thing is TINY!" he exclaimed. "My desk last year was thiiiiis big," he said, pushing his hands out to the edge of the table. I felt sorry for the two girls sitting on either side of him.

I waited in the class with the other parents for an extra five minutes, just to torment Mark and hear him growl, "You can go now!" I'm convinced it's his way of saying "I love you" in public, so I told him I loved him, too, and to have a good day. "Don't forget to go to the nurse and test before lunch," I said as I left, and he laid his head on the desk, dying a quiet little death by embarrassment.

All joking aside, I am grateful for him being back in school. The nurse seems really knowledgeable about diabetes, which is an immense relief. It's the scariest thing in the world to leave your kid anywhere, especially when that kid has a chronic illness and must be watched carefully. The first day of school is always a relief to me--I'm leaving him with a trained nurse on staff, and that thought is more comforting than I could ever articulate. I know my son's in good hands, medically and intellectually, and really, that's all a mom can really hope for.

That, and a picture of my scowling kid to frame and put on my desk at work...