kinda funny, but kinda fucked up...
Okay, so I'm watching the Reese Witherspoon interview on Jay Leno and she's talking about her daughter's first day of school and how it was harder on her (Reese) than it was her daughter, Ava. And that the teacher basically had to scoot Reese out of the school to the car.
This immediately reminded me of my first day of Kindergarten at Finger Lake Elementary School in Wasilla, Alaska. I don't remember the moments leading up to the first day of school, but the story, as told by my mother is this:
I was bound and determined to "take the bus" finally, like a big kid on my first day of school (first day of school EVER, mind you, I didn't go to preschool). And my mom let me! Who does that!? Who sends their 5-year-old into the wilderness like that (literally, being that we lived in Alaska and the bus stop was far away!)!? Yes, I did have my older brother, Ryan, on the bus with me, but as many of you who have older siblings (particularly older brothers) can relate to what douchebags they are. Immediately getting to school, Ryan did not want to be seen with his dorky 5-year-old sister, and definitely didn't want to take me to class (which my mom swears she made him promise to do...that's definitely questionable on both ends). He ignored me the entire bus ride there, wouldn't even let me sit by him (he didn't want to ruin his rep on his first day at a new school, afterall), and immediately after getting off the bus, he left me there...standing in the freezing cold in my little skirt, cardigan, tights, saddle shoes and backpack. That's where my vivid memory picks up. I had absolutely no idea where to go, or what to do, as this elementary was about 1000 strong at the time and there were strangers...EVERYWHERE. I'm certain that this is where my initial independence kicked in...and the single most incident that made me the independent, apathetic asshole I am today. I was so confused...but never the one to act a panic (ever, never once in my 24 years and definitely not now), I somehow managed to make it to my Kindergarten home room. Which, to be honest, is a goddamn miracle. The class was huge. There were at least 60-some kindergarteners there, at the least. Clearly Kindergarten was a little overbooked. There were kids everywhere, kids crying, mothers everywhere, mothers crying...it was a GOD DAMN MESS. I remember thinking to myself "you have GOT to be kidding me, this is Kindergarten?" I was so disappointed. Even then I was mentally 20 years older than my real age.
A week later I got switched to another Kindergarten class...they had to hire another teacher...and I had to make all new friends. We moved immediately at the end of the school year and continued to move 7 more times before I was in the third grade. I got really awesome at being independent and making friends. That's for damn sure.
It's weird how your childhood really can affect your adult life in so many ways.
Anyway, I just found that interesting...because at the time...in my 5-year-old world, I thought this was a completely normal situation. Little did I know this was not the Kindergarten drill and normal mothers don't just load their 5-year-old on a strange bus in a strange city, going to a strange school with a douchebag older brother in charge. God, that's fucked up.
This immediately reminded me of my first day of Kindergarten at Finger Lake Elementary School in Wasilla, Alaska. I don't remember the moments leading up to the first day of school, but the story, as told by my mother is this:
I was bound and determined to "take the bus" finally, like a big kid on my first day of school (first day of school EVER, mind you, I didn't go to preschool). And my mom let me! Who does that!? Who sends their 5-year-old into the wilderness like that (literally, being that we lived in Alaska and the bus stop was far away!)!? Yes, I did have my older brother, Ryan, on the bus with me, but as many of you who have older siblings (particularly older brothers) can relate to what douchebags they are. Immediately getting to school, Ryan did not want to be seen with his dorky 5-year-old sister, and definitely didn't want to take me to class (which my mom swears she made him promise to do...that's definitely questionable on both ends). He ignored me the entire bus ride there, wouldn't even let me sit by him (he didn't want to ruin his rep on his first day at a new school, afterall), and immediately after getting off the bus, he left me there...standing in the freezing cold in my little skirt, cardigan, tights, saddle shoes and backpack. That's where my vivid memory picks up. I had absolutely no idea where to go, or what to do, as this elementary was about 1000 strong at the time and there were strangers...EVERYWHERE. I'm certain that this is where my initial independence kicked in...and the single most incident that made me the independent, apathetic asshole I am today. I was so confused...but never the one to act a panic (ever, never once in my 24 years and definitely not now), I somehow managed to make it to my Kindergarten home room. Which, to be honest, is a goddamn miracle. The class was huge. There were at least 60-some kindergarteners there, at the least. Clearly Kindergarten was a little overbooked. There were kids everywhere, kids crying, mothers everywhere, mothers crying...it was a GOD DAMN MESS. I remember thinking to myself "you have GOT to be kidding me, this is Kindergarten?" I was so disappointed. Even then I was mentally 20 years older than my real age.
A week later I got switched to another Kindergarten class...they had to hire another teacher...and I had to make all new friends. We moved immediately at the end of the school year and continued to move 7 more times before I was in the third grade. I got really awesome at being independent and making friends. That's for damn sure.
It's weird how your childhood really can affect your adult life in so many ways.
Anyway, I just found that interesting...because at the time...in my 5-year-old world, I thought this was a completely normal situation. Little did I know this was not the Kindergarten drill and normal mothers don't just load their 5-year-old on a strange bus in a strange city, going to a strange school with a douchebag older brother in charge. God, that's fucked up.