Changes

Last week was a big week in my eldest's boys life and that of many of our friends kids, as they all headed excitedly to high school.
Big changes.  I think for one brief moment, when I was in a stationery shop again, buying the wrong stationery again, I wished he was back at primary school, because I knew how that all worked, and I had a multi-leveled system of friends I could call  if I didn't know what book to take in, or what uniform they were wearing, and if that failed, I could call the school office, and apologise profusely for my failings as a mum, as they filled me in on what I should know.
But high school?....oh no no no.  We only have a minor role, we can't prevent the screw ups, nor sort them.  But I only thought this for a moment, because he has been so pumped about school, although to be fair, the excitement levels are dimming on a daily basis, as the reality of this new world sinks in.  His favourite subjects seems to correlate with the niceness of the teacher, and also the chance of overseas travel.  So on Day 3 his career choices may be changing to accommodate Italian as the Major for whatever he wants to do.

And even though I have done some incredibly dumb stuff in my frazzled state (see picture above) and attempting to give him a kiss before he headed into the school hall on his first morning, I love that the prize for the funniest parental incident goes to a very dear friend of mine who has generously agreed to share this cautionary tale with those who may find themselves in a similar situation.

So my friend is just about to head out for a swim, when she gets an urgent text from her son asking her to bring in his sports gear, he needed it and had forgotten it.  The text came at 8.29, with school starting at 8.30.  There was no time to make a plan with her son, she'd have to wing it.  She headed to school with the bag, and pops into the school office, who tell her to drop it into class as they were in changeover time, so there was a good chance she could sneak it in under the radar.  In her swimmers with a see through beach dress over top.  Now if you knew this friend, she is always immaculately turned out in the most gorgeous of clothes, she just has the knack of looking fab at all times.  Perhaps apart from when she's just about to head for a swim.

She heads up to the class.  But to her horror, class changeover is over and as she knocks on the class door, the kids are all sitting quietly at their desks.

"Boys we have a visitor, please stand up".  The class stands, she enters.  With her son's sports bag.  In her swimmers and see through top, the story is better without that part though.  Some survival instincts kick in and she turns to the class and puts on her best school teacher voice and thanks them, tells them to be "at ease soldiers" (ok I added that part), and I'm guessing throws the bag at the teacher, then runs.  She hears the teacher calling her son up, "Mr XXX, please remember your own bag next time", so the mortification is even worse as not only has she embarrassed herself and her son, but he's just got a bollocking.

Now even though this story is very funny, it's also very sobering, as I can imagine it's only a matter of time before I find myself in this situation.

And always trying to find the bright side, there is one in this story.  It was line ball whether she took the bag in before the swim rather than afterwards.  When she would have been in her wet swimmers, and see through swim dress.

You have been warned.

I could have had a whole lot of fun with this, but I think I've been quite kind.