We were at the preschool preview this morning where we get to meet the teachers and play for a while to entice the kiddos to want to come back when school starts. My boys were eager and excited to go (which I took for granted until I watched one mom drag her son by the arm through the parking lot.) Their excitement only grew when we entered the familiar room that was Griffin’s last year and now it’s Fletcher’s room. And they both settled in quickly to play with the bat man cave and black helicopters with moving propellers. I was relieved and a bit nervous for the teachers when I learned that there are 11 boys in the class and just a small handful of girls. Fletcher will do well. Hopefully the teachers will survive.
I couldn’t help but notice the pack of boys on the floor, each laying on their sides making motor noises and navigating around each other to all get their hands on the bat cave. And over at the table, the teachers had aspirationally set out cups of crayons and stacks of coloring pages. But lo and behold, several prim and prettily dressed girls with their floral sundresses, sandals and pigtails pulled up a chair and began to color and expertly scratch out their names. “Oh,” I thought to myself. “I guess I should start working with Griffin on writing his name, these chicks are even younger.” Then I couldn’t help but smile as I observed Madelyn, who’s name I know because she had written it so nicely, was on the verge of tears when the tip of her new fushia crayon broke. Her mother reassured her that it would still work but based on the frustration and sheer disappointment written on her brow, I wasn’t sure she’s ever going to recover from this tragedy. I had to bite my lip not to laugh outloud. My boyz break crayons for sport! Fletcher just recently stopped unwrapping them and eating them like candy. Ok, I’m adding the those five little girls to the prayer list who have to endure preschool with 11 little boys. Fast forward 30 years and Madelyn will be standing over her sons asking them, with all seriousness, “Why did you just break all the new crayons!?” I guess it’s named Preschool Preview for a reason.
