Asks Claire, in a whiny voice at dinner last night.  And without missing a beat Lucas says “so we don’t grow up to be dumb asses.”

Gotta love Lucas!  I think I nearly snorted wine out of my nose as those words passed his lips.  His tone was completely deadpan and face set like stone.  He said those words and he meant them.  He keeps me on my toes, that one.

Lucas might not like school but he realizes the importance of it. He’s impressing the hell out of me this year, I gotta tell you.  I’ve never seen him this focused, this in tune, this with it, although it may have something to do with the threat we have hanging over his head…do well or you’re off to a private school ~ why that should be a threat is beyond me but it is so we’ll keep it hanging over him.  As long as he’s doing this well, he can stay at Henrico county public schools.

My former school enthusiast, Claire, has now taken on the role of a normal school aged kid…school is to be tolerated, never liked.  School is to be mocked, never loved.  School is a place to mourn the passing of days, never to be celebrated.  She’s a middle schooler with all of the middle school angst. Middle school is a place I’m beginning to loathe more and more as days go by…it’s the place where school my enthusiast retired and became just a regular, old student.

As for Zach, when this little conversation took place, he said “Claire, it’s amazing to me that last year you loved school but now that you’re in middle school you realize the difference.”

And boy does she realize the difference…elementary school was fun ~ middle school is, well, middle school.

What’s funny (more funny peculiar than funny ha-ha) is they all know they are growing up way too fast and all of them are realizing how different parts of their lives are changing and morphing and shifting toward the path of being a grown up.

Through this whole conversation I have to say I was glad to hear Lucas realizes why they hafta go to school.  Dumb asses do not get very far in life, at least not many.  So with that tidbit of advice in hand from Lucas, we can all get on with our days.

Oh, for the the love of my children….