Lessons learned in time

Resslin' Around by Casey Ressler

How did it get to this point?" I asked my wife. "It seems like we just got married, and we are already at this. So soon it seems, so sad."

"I know," my wife, Tracy, said. "We've got very busy lives that pull us in many directions. On our wedding day, which wasn't yesterday but rather six years ago, I never thought about us having this conversation."

I didn't know what to say. Finally, a thought came to me -- bansai. "Let's start stunting her growth like a little bonsai tree," I told Tracy. "Then she'll never get bigger."

Of course, I'm not talking about marital problems. Far from it. Like many Valley parents, I'm talking about the anxiety surrounding the first day of school -- the very first day. This week, our daughter Madison went to her first day of preschool, leaving her parents wondering what happened to their "baby" now that she is growing up.

It feels like two days ago that I was changing diapers and getting bottles ready, and now I'm getting a backpack ready for school. Parents always say about how fast time goes when you have children, but sending a kid to school for the first time, even if it is just preschool, really enforces the notion.

On her first day, there were parents snapping photos at the school. Madison herself had an entourage -- my wife and I were joined by Madison's grandmother, "Nanny," to make sure everything was OK. I admit it was disappointing to see Madison so happy on that first day -- I would have felt a little better if there was at least a second or two that she felt like she needed her parents there. Instead, she shot us a look that essentially said, "Thanks for dropping me off guys, now beat it. I've only got 2 1/2 hours of new friends, new teachers, new toys and new projects. You're cutting into finger-paint time. The tissues are over there in the corner if you are going to shed a tear or two, but please do it quickly."

I had to fight the little diva just for a kiss and a hug good-bye. Whether she likes it or not, she's getting those all the way through her college years.

My wife left the preschool and headed back to work, while I came home to finish a story for deadline. It took everything I had not to pack a lunch and sit outside the school the entire 2 1/2 hours, just in case she needed something. While at home, the whole time I typed, I kept thinking to myself, "My God, my kid is in school right now. SCHOOL."

The minutes felt like hours, and finally it was time to pick her up. When I got there, she was playing on a Sit-N-Spin, clearly enjoying her time. She showed me her new cubby, all the pictures she drew and the piece of paper on which she wrote her whole name, all of which will probably end up framed because we've had to buy seven refrigerators to keep up with her drawings up until this point, and we're running out of room.

Driving home, I checked the rearview mirror frequently, sneaking peeks at my not-so-little baby sitting in her car seat.

At the rate time is passing, it'll feel like a few more months until she's driving herself to high school.

We made all the obligatory calls to let them know Madison's first day was a success. When I was talking to my mother, I couldn't help but think back on big "firsts" in my life, and how she and dad handled it.

I never thought twice about driving 4,000 miles from home for college, but I know Madison will. That's because her first roommates in the dorms may just be her mom and dad.

Casey Ressler (valleylife@frontiersman.com) is the Valley Life editor. He'll be eating lunches on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the preschool parking lot.