Back to School

As usual in the Austin household, the first day of school was greeted with a restless night's sleep and a very anxious 9-year-old up at the crack of dawn.

Carter's a bit of a worry wart (hmm ... wonder where he gets that from.) He couldn't fall asleep last night. What if I miss the bus? What if my teacher is mean? And on and on.

This morning he had his shoes on and his backpack on and was ready to go an hour before the bus was due. "Carter, you haven't even showered yet!" "Oh, yeah."

He's the first one to the bus stop so he puts his backpack at the edge of the road to ensure his place at the front of the line (at least for this day). The other kids and their camera-toting moms join us moments later. As we snap individual and group shots, the one mom says to her daughter, "See it's not just me. This is just what moms do!"

Carter did allow me to give him a big hug and kiss but whispered, "Mom, you're embarrassing me" when I reminded him what bus he needed to ride after school. Oh he's growing up so fast. I don't think I told my parents they embarrassed me until probably 8th grade!

I see him off on the bus. As I'm driving to work, I am astonished I didn't have a tearful goodbye. I wonder, am I getting used to this? Then, it hit me -- at a really odd time and place. As I pull up to a stoplight, I glance in the rearview mirror. In the minivan behind me, I see a mother "signing" to her school-aged daughter. I start to cry. I look up and say, "Thank you God for my healthy child ... my normal 4th-grader."

When I picked Carter up after school, I asked him what his favorite part of his first day in 4th grade was. He responded, "Everything!"

I guess we all found something to be thankful for today. Perhaps there will be some restful sleep in the Austin house tonight!