Old Kid on the Block

I first noticed it on the first day of school at Kindergarten orientation.

This is my 10th year I've been at our elementary school, and during that time I've gotten to know or at least recognize a lot of the parents. If I don't know their "real name," I at least know that they are "Felicia's mom" or "Dylan's dad" or "The lady who does the silent auction baskets."

Well, as I stood there in my daughter's future Kindergarten classroom, I looked around the room and I had the thought, "

"Who are these people?" "And Where did they come from?"

Seriously. I only knew one other person in the whole room - and it's not because she's been around our school for the past 10 years like I have, it's because she lives down the street from me.
This was so weird to me. Usually on the first day of school, I see so many familiar faces, all of "OUR" school's parents. I wondered,

"Did everyone move away?" "And all new people moved in?"

It started to make more sense to me as the teacher began her presentation...
When the school website was mentioned, there were many who questioned WHAT that was.
When the teacher said we'd do the after school pick up procedure the same as always, so many people didn't know what the "usual" was.
When someone asked what they could donate to the class, the teacher told them the list was sent home with the students at the end of last year. To which many replied they had no idea what "list" was being spoken of.
When the PTA President visited and told us all their info was in the folders the school gives to each family, there were blank looks all around me, followed by some complaints that they hadn't received one. The teacher explained that the oldest child in a family is the one who receives the folder in behalf of the family and that there were some on her back table if they wanted to take a look for theirs.

I was confused why there were so many questions going around(?) (?) (?)
Of course, I already knew all this - I've been through this 10 times already. I already had possession of the folder that my 6th Grader had given me. But, all those other parents looked at the back table - and I was surprised at how many folders were there.

And then it dawned on me.

Their kindergartners are their FIRST child. They've never attended our school before - no wonder why I don't know/recognize them! And here I am with my FOURTH child going into kindergarten.

That made me feel OLD!

But, I swear, I looked just the same age as all of them! It's true - I consciously CHECKED THEM OUT!

I continued to notice the First-Child-in-Kindergarten signs when I went to pick up my daughter and her friend after school for the first time a couple of weeks later. I drove up to the school and there was NOT a close parking spot to be found. Any "seasoned" Kindergarten parent knows that even though class gets out at 11:30AM, the kids and the teacher don't manage to appear until anywhere between 11:35 - 11:38. Except for those times when they come out at 11:43. So, if you come "on time" or even early, you are W-A-I-T-I-N-G! And that's what I saw a lot of; parents waiting, and not in their cars - they were standing at the school doors. Pacing. Looking at their watches. Peering through the front windows. Sick with worry. ;)

They were the same parents that when their kids did come out, they are going through the backpacks before they ever get to the car and talking about doing their "homework" right upon arriving home. Me, I know I'm going to get the same note from the school 3X (one from each of my elementary school students) and I don't even look in my daughter's backpack until I'm saying good-bye to her the next morning at school. Oh, you had homework? Woops! You'll have to do that sometime.

But, just to confirm my earlier observations, I checked them out again at the after-school-pick-up scene. I still think we look around the same age - REALLY!

Yep, it definitely appears we've had a "student population turnover." It's so disturbing to me to think that I may be the oldest Kindergarten parent. So, really nothing happened to all the other parents of my kids' classmates I've always seen through the years - they are just parents to BIG kids now. I guess that what happens when you keep having babies until you're 38! ;)

Maybe my view of myself is distorted, maybe I have self-image problems, maybe I'm in denial, but I'm sticking to my previous statement(s) that I don't look a day (OK, maybe a month) older than those other first time Kindergartner parents! (But, don't tell THEM I said that, it will probably make that 24 yr. old quite mad!) :)

All this realization coming on the EVE of my 40th Birthday! GULP! Eeeeeck! Waaaahhhh! Baaaaarrrrfff!