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Pre-Kindergarten

 My child's first school experience is about to begin, and I feel a bit like the character "Louie."


I know Louis CK is a monster, etc., but as the NYT observed this summer, the show "Louie" remains a major achievement. It's something I think about on an almost daily basis (especially because my husband and I are watching Pamela Adlon's great video-memoir, "Better Things," which shares DNA with the Greenwich Village Comedy Cellar).

In one of my favorite "Louie" moments, the protagonist attends a PA meeting. The parents are upset because the children seem mysteriously sleepy after lunch. Solutions are proposed. More outdoor-recess time! Stimulating new math lessons! Gluten-free dining options!

Louie tentatively asks: "Aren't the kids seemingly sleepy because.....school sucks?"

There's silence.

"I mean....We all remember that, right? School sucks?"

I thought of this as I read Joshua's long (quite long!) list of school forms and announcements. The amount of material made me think I was shipping my son to a ten-year war on another continent, and not signing on for six hours of light social time per week (at a site around the corner from our house).

The part that really disturbed me was this: "No Halloween, and no Valentine's Day." My heart sank. To me, Halloween and Valentine's Day are the events that make school bearable. They are the reasons that you go to school.

But I'm withholding comment. I'm going to be an adult, and a team player.

Do I wonder if Josh will be judged for seeming overly fond of his bottle? For not speaking enough? Do I think a mandatory informational night, on a weeknight, is really needed, if the child is attending for just six hours each week? (No one expects Josh to memorize "King Lear"--yet.)

One day at a time.....
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