FDOS

So today is the First Day of School in Miami -- a day I used to truly savor when I had school aged Ds.

Wifey and I made it a big deal -- I'd take a picture of the girls in front of a tree -- to show how much more the tree would grow each year. And then, when they went to Leewood Elementary, I'd walk them in and meet the teachers for the year.

I loved the atmosphere -- reminded me of Opening Day in baseball. In MLB, every team is undefeated that day -- no one has struck out -- no errors committed. At FDOS, the dunces haven't yet failed any tests, no feelings have been hurt by cliques, and all is grand.

D1 skipped from first to second grade, so was 4 grades ahead of D2. A memory we cherish is Wifey making it crystal clear to D1 that she would hold her sister's hand outside the door, and then make sure D2 got inside. Of course, Wifey stayed to watch.  D1 put her sister right in front of the door and clearly instructed her to wait. And then she walked off to chat with her third degree friends -- D2 stood motionless, waiting for the door to open like a religious Jew awaits the opening of the Ark.

That night, we came down hard on D1 -- safety issues were huge in our house. I recall her being in awe that parents seemed to be an all seeing eye...

Of course, once the Ds got to Middle and High School, FDOS became all theirs. We weren't allowed to walk them into the building, but they prepped and primped to look just right for that first day. The house buzzed with excitement.

After high school, things got even better -- I was treated to one of the best parts of being a Dad -- dropping the Ds off at college. There was the long drive to Gville, and helping carry in the tons of clothes, and the shopping trips to Target and Wal-Mart out on Archer Road, and the bittersweet goodbye when Wifey and I realized we had young women on our hands instead of girls...

I'll drive by the schools today and smile -- the FDOS excitement will be all around them. And who knows -- maybe there'll be grandkids, and I can actually take part in FDOS again.