a fever pitch

Emotions are running high in the Strzelecki household. We are waiting -- not patiently -- for the first day of school.

With both children experiencing milestone years in their education (one will be in 1st grade; the other, 5th grade), the anticipation began almost immediately after school let out in June. We are now at Defcom 2.

An unprecedented level of frenzy has taken over the place. School supply inventories are checked daily. Closets are reviewed, lunches planned.

On Tuesday, class lists were published district-wide at 4:00pm both online and at the school. At 4:01pm, we were urging our overworked computer along to pull up the site. After an agonizingly long 30 seconds, the fifth grader insisted we view the lists in person.

The news was not good. No familiar names in her class, which is not surprising because the middle school draws from four elementary schools. I understand this, but trying to explain it to her is fruitless. There were no tears, thank goodness, just a considerable amount of whining.

It didn't help that the first grader has several kindergarten classmates in her new class. You've all heard the familiar chorus "That's NOT Fair!!" You might say it's our theme song lately.

In between dodging emotional shrapnel and watching my bank account depleting, I realize that not much has changed. I'm not that much "farther along" than my girls, at least emotionally. I still tend to place unreasonable hope on the future, obsess about my stuff, and find my situation lacking when comparing it to others.

Sure, I'm a responsible adult with tons of helpful advice if only the younger crowd would just listen, but in my heart I can be a whining child wondering if my teacher will like me.

I just hope I bought the right kind of erasers...