Registered

Well, we did it.

Without tears.

I took a picture of The Boy holding the mandatory birth certificate and immunization records, smiling bigger than life.

And we stood in line. And stood. And stood some more.

There is only one school in our small, bursting at the seams town, and apparently there was quite the baby boom in 2002.

One of his preschool teachers was just ahead of us with her son, a friend of The Boy's, so they palled around together while we filled out paperwork. One question asked his nationality, which I didn't answer for two reasons - 1) It makes no difference what his race is in order to attend school, and 2) There was not an appropriate box to check that would be true to him. Not even "other". When I asked about it I was told, "That's optional and doesn't matter." Then why is it there?

Two ladies in line behind me were conversing. One has a 21 year old daughter and then a son who will be in kindergarten this year. I guess that answers my question about what amount of years between siblings is too much time. Pick a number between one and twenty. The lady behind her was just bubbling over with excitement at the prospect of not paying daycare anymore.

Lady, I thought, I'd give just about anything to be paying daycare for a child next year.

When it was all said and done, I found my son in the cafeteria, holding hands with his second grade sweetie who comes to his preschool for after school care, while she ate breakfast.

I'm going to be okay.

Until the first day of school.