Song of the day: Beautiful Boy - John Lennon

"Before you go to sleep
Say a little prayer
Every day in every way
It's getting better and better" - John Lennon

Yesterday, I met with a panel of six (all women) of "The Boy's" school counselors to discuss his educational path for next year. After going to one of these meetings with me before, my husband no longer accompanies me to them anymore. His excuse is that he trusts my decision and that I can "hold my own". However, it is my belief that he finds it difficult to deal with the large quantities of estrogen in the room.

"Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful
Beautiful boy"

In the meeting, we all agreed that "The Boy" is absolutely brilliant, but tends to get distracted quite easily. Very easily,in fact. As they have done in the past, the plan is to modify his curriculum a bit, so as to accommodate him. That's one thing that I can say about the particular school he goes to; the personnel are very involved and caring; even more so when they have an engaged parent involved. I am proud to say that I am such a parent.

"Out on the ocean sailing away
I can hardly wait to see you come of age"

Tomorrow is school field trip day for "The Boy". He, along with his fellow classmates, teachers and four chaperones, are boarding a chartered bus and going for a visit to the mountain home of one of our former U.S. Presidents. I have chaperoned his class on each and every school trip since kindergarten; right on up to the last one. However, based on past experiences, and because of my newly acquired 'half century' age status, I am going to pass on this particular trip and let his father go with him instead. The bus ride will be about 70 miles and the weatherman has threatened a storm...just outright promised and guaranteed that there will be one! I can think of no better place that I would rather be, than with a bus full of excited nine year olds, eating lunch on a bus, in a thunderstorm, while the driver attempts to navigate around a mountain. Sorry I'll have to miss it (tee hee).

When I was young, the night before a field trip...any field trip, was an exciting time. Not so for "The Boy". He is so "laid back" and his only concern is what I will be packing for his lunch. After he completed his homework and while he frittered away the rest of his afternoon watching "Alvin and the Chipmunks"... twice, and chomping on Cheetoes, I worried.

Am I forgetting anything? I made a checklist of the things that he (and his Dad) will need to take, and stuck it on the refrigerator. I have ironed his outfit for tomorrow and have hung it in his closet. Will he need an umbrella? Or will a rain jacket be easier for him to carry around? This brings back memories. I am becoming my mother. These are the types of things she used to do for me and my siblings when we were younger. I am pre-wired to following in her footsteps. It took me having my own child to really realize just what "mothering" really is; and how illogically and insanely intense, being a mother can be at times.

"But I guess we'll both just have to be patient
'Cause it's a long way to go, A hard row to hoe
Yes it's a long way to go, But in the meantime"

When I was forty-one, pregnant and having a difficult time, I remember going to one of my twice weekly doctor visits and asking my physician if he thought the baby would appreciate all that we were doing to try to keep him alive. As I sat on the table, the doctor took me by both hands, smiled, gazed into my eyes and said, "No, not for quite some time" "You're going to have to wait it out". "What makes you think that you can get out of 'paying your dues' like the rest of us have done?"... I looked around his office and saw, suddenly coming into focus, numerous pictures of his adult daughters' graduations, vacations and weddings. And there he was, with his wife, in most of these pictures; proudly and happily grinning in the background.

"Before you cross the street, take my hand
Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans"

There's hope for us and "The Boy" yet.

"Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful
Darling "The Boy" (insert name of your child(ren))