Growing Up and Moving On

This afternoon I went to Maura’s school for my very last Field Day lunch with my daughter. Every year since she was in kindergarten I’ve gone to school on Field Day to sit with her and have a hotdog. This will be the last year. Fourth grade is the final year of primary school in Weymouth. Next year she’ll be at Abigail Adams Middle School. I don’t know that they have a field day but I suspect if they do they don’t invite the parents to lunch.

Maura and I are both looking forward to middle school. The school is closer and Maura is older so she’ll be walking herself to school next year. She’s already made plans to walk with some of her friends. I’ll have more time because I won’t have to drop her off or pick her up. The school day is also more convenient for me. I’ll be able to get started sooner and I won’t be forced to take breaks at awkward times. Change is always disruptive but my life will be easier once I am used to the new schedule.

Though I’ll be happy when Maura is in middle school the end of primary school is a bittersweet time. Maura is growing up and it is happening fast. It seems like yesterday that she was starting school for the first time. Maura had just turned five a week before when we took her for her first day of kindergarten. She was eager to get started but also a little scared. Her mother and I felt the same way. Now in just over a week I’ll be dropping her off at Seach School for her last day as a student there. It hardly seems like it’s been five years.

Along the way Maura has learned a lot. She’s quite accomplished at reading, writing and arithmetic. She does her homework with little prompting (she still needs to be reminded to do her chores). She calls her friends on the phone and has an email address. Before she heads to middle school we will get her a cellphone of her own. Five years ago all of that was in the future. I can hardly imagine what the next five years will bring.

Fairs and Strolls

Last weekend my parents came for their annual holiday visit. It was a short one this year. They arrived from Indiana on Thursday and left again on Monday morning. We thought about doing lots of things while they were here but in the end we spent most of our time at home. We dined in local restaurants and did a little shopping but never went far. Our big events for the weekend were on Saturday and early on Sunday. On Saturday morning Maura’s school had its annual holiday fair and in the evening we went to the Holiday Stroll and Tree Lighting in Columbian Square, South Weymouth. On Sunday we attended a craft fair.

Maura was excited about her school holiday fair. She volunteered, helping with games for the younger kids, but she wasn’t needed for long. There were plenty of volunteers. She was happy that her grandparents could come and see her school. I don’t recall that they had ever seen the inside of it before. I admit that I begged off spending much time the school fair. I got a badly needed haircut while Maura was volunteering and only showed up for a short while. Maura didn’t seem to mind very much that I wasn’t there the whole time.

I was along for the trip to the Columbian Square Holiday Stroll but I wouldn’t have been upset to be left behind. It was cold and crowded and there was not much happening to excite me. Maura had a great time, though. She took part in the scavenger hunt that encouraged us to visit many of the businesses in Columbian square. I did a little shopping along the way but unfortunately my current financial troubles (I’m still unemployed) take what little joy I might otherwise find in that away. By the time we had completed most of the circuit, and Maura had claimed her prize, I was entirely out of holiday spirit. I’ve been stressed lately and I only hope I didn’t ruin everyone else’s night. I did manage to cheer up at dinner. Two bottles of Dos Equis beer and an excellent Mexican meal at El Serape in the Braintree part of Weymouth Landing were very good for my mood.

On Sunday we went to a craft fair at Congregation Sha-aray Shalom in Hingham, where Jennifer and Maura attend services. It was quite a large craft fair with about two dozen exhibitors. Most of them had beautiful things. I would have done some holiday shopping but the things I would most like to have purchased were too expensive for this year’s budget. We did pick up a few small things for Maura. Her grandmother bought her a bracelet of beads that turn from white to bright colors in the sunlight. She’s worn it to school every day since.