I sat in the auditorium and daydreamed about a million different things and making up stories about the people that sat around me. The assistant principal was talking, and talking and talking, about schedules and credits. My eyelids were getting heavy. I started to doodle just to stay awake. This sounds like a scene straight out of my junior year in 1990, but it wasn't. Nope. It was my own kid's parent information night at the high school he's going to attend in a few months. Um, what the hell? Time is fucking crazy.
And here's the crazier part....high school sounds way more intense than it was 25 years ago. Is it? I don't know. But when I would phase in and out of my daydreams, all I heard was "college," "resumes," "college," "GPA matters," "college," "be prepared," "college." Woah. The picture they were painting was no John Hughes movie.
Listen, this isn't a post about the evils of Common Core and testing and argh, the government takeover of our schools. It's just a simple post of an unprepared mom who kind of dug the John Hughes scene. My kid is an over-achiever who is really smart. He'll be fine. It's just feels so strange to me. And I kind of feel like I wouldn't have graduated in this type of high school.
I mean I was the kid in remedial math in freshman year with the kids that smoked in the bathroom and broke into cars on their lunchbreak. We were rocking out to Scorpions and Def Leopard and wearing acid-washed jeans. I worried if my flats matched my belt and if my bangs were high enough. We bummed rides with kids that were lucky enough to have cars and we cruised up and down the one main street in our town. There was the occasional John Hughes-esque house party or field party. I don't remember thinking about or talking about college until the end of junior year, but more like the winter of our senior year.
Not sure if my parents went to an information meeting before my high school or not. But if they did I truly don't think college would have been mentioned 4,356 times. It was a different world then and that's cool. But even if there was one, my parents might not have gone to the meeting at all. They were immersed in their own situation...messy divorce, my mother was troubled, I was troubled. Maybe I related to those John Hughes movies so much because I was the suburban weirdo with a screwed up home life just looking to find my group and fit in and have some control over my own life.
My kid is lucky he's well prepared for this new high school experience. He's lucky to be going to a really well-respected, safe suburban school. I'm grateful.
Who knows maybe it's just what happens with each generation. Maybe there was a parent information night when I was a freshman in 1989 and my mom was like "um, this is no Beach Blanket Bingo." Maybe this is just what happens to all parents, all people.
Halfway through the information night, my eyes welled up with tears--not because I am sad that my kid is getting older, but more like it's all just surreal. I mean I remember sitting in high school and all the feelings and thinking all the time is going to go on forever because duh. Woah, the other night it all just hit me....time and life and how fast it all goes and how weird it all is. All I know completely for sure right now is that is completely crazy that I have a kid that will be in high school in the fall.
If you love John Hughes watch this:
(Click here to watch the video.)
Here's what else I know for sure:
(Click here to watch the video.)
And here's the crazier part....high school sounds way more intense than it was 25 years ago. Is it? I don't know. But when I would phase in and out of my daydreams, all I heard was "college," "resumes," "college," "GPA matters," "college," "be prepared," "college." Woah. The picture they were painting was no John Hughes movie.
Listen, this isn't a post about the evils of Common Core and testing and argh, the government takeover of our schools. It's just a simple post of an unprepared mom who kind of dug the John Hughes scene. My kid is an over-achiever who is really smart. He'll be fine. It's just feels so strange to me. And I kind of feel like I wouldn't have graduated in this type of high school.
I mean I was the kid in remedial math in freshman year with the kids that smoked in the bathroom and broke into cars on their lunchbreak. We were rocking out to Scorpions and Def Leopard and wearing acid-washed jeans. I worried if my flats matched my belt and if my bangs were high enough. We bummed rides with kids that were lucky enough to have cars and we cruised up and down the one main street in our town. There was the occasional John Hughes-esque house party or field party. I don't remember thinking about or talking about college until the end of junior year, but more like the winter of our senior year.
Not sure if my parents went to an information meeting before my high school or not. But if they did I truly don't think college would have been mentioned 4,356 times. It was a different world then and that's cool. But even if there was one, my parents might not have gone to the meeting at all. They were immersed in their own situation...messy divorce, my mother was troubled, I was troubled. Maybe I related to those John Hughes movies so much because I was the suburban weirdo with a screwed up home life just looking to find my group and fit in and have some control over my own life.
My kid is lucky he's well prepared for this new high school experience. He's lucky to be going to a really well-respected, safe suburban school. I'm grateful.
Who knows maybe it's just what happens with each generation. Maybe there was a parent information night when I was a freshman in 1989 and my mom was like "um, this is no Beach Blanket Bingo." Maybe this is just what happens to all parents, all people.
Halfway through the information night, my eyes welled up with tears--not because I am sad that my kid is getting older, but more like it's all just surreal. I mean I remember sitting in high school and all the feelings and thinking all the time is going to go on forever because duh. Woah, the other night it all just hit me....time and life and how fast it all goes and how weird it all is. All I know completely for sure right now is that is completely crazy that I have a kid that will be in high school in the fall.
If you love John Hughes watch this:
(Click here to watch the video.)
Here's what else I know for sure:
- I was sad to hear about Gary Shandling passing away. But I loved this scene someone posted on Twitter as a tribute.
- We love our dogs.
 |
| Every morning Rufus helps wake Lucy up. |
- The show "Lost" is stupid. Tim has been obsessed with binge watching ALL the seasons of "Lost." It's like it's all he can think of and it annoys me and I have no time for it. LOL. He's finishing up the last episode right now while I type this. Thank god. Here's a hilarious clip from the movie This Is 40 when the daughter gets obsessed with "Lost" and the dad has no time for it. It's funny. I relate to all of it, even when she makes fun of "Mad Men." Only watch it if you don't care about finding out how "Lost" ends.
(Click here to watch the video.)
- My kids were just babies. Maybe that's why I can't wrap my head around the fact that my oldest will be in high school. And pictures like this from my throwback Thursday post on Instagram. Oh my god, they were so cute.
What do YOU know for sure right now? Tell me.
I am pretty sure, "This is no Beach Blanket Bingo" should become my new life motto. P is going to be amazing <3
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