Mother Tongue
By Kristen Taylor
Au Revoir, Elementary School
Two weeks ago my little boy got braces and outgrew kid’s sized shoes. Last week he graduated from elementary school. Wait! Don’t stop reading! This isn’t going to be one of those mushy, “they grow up so fast,” essays. Except for buying adult shoes that come with adult prices, I’m quite happy to see my kids grow up, because I’ve loved every stage so far. The age that your children are right now is always the best one, isn’t it?
But there are some things about elementary school itself that I will definitely miss. Macaroni necklaces and Valentines are things of the past, as is that one-room schoolhouse feeling that a really good teacher can conjure. The kids have, for the most part, been together since Kindergarten, and they’ve formed a tight family unit. They take care of each other in surprising ways, with a consideration not always seen with their actual siblings. They know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and while that familiarity can foster scheming and slights in middle school, in elementary school the kids were happy to laud each other’s triumphs and console each other’s slip-ups.
Of course, there are also things endemic to elementary school that I am happy to put behind us. While my son’s class wasn’t particularly divided, I know that Boys vs. Girls is practically a holy war in a lot of primary grades. And can I just say that I am thrilled to never have to see a times table flashcard ever again? I loved helping my son learn how to read because the payoff was huge: books to be devoured for days and years. Let’s just say that the motivation for learning multiplication tables—getting to do long division—wasn’t nearly as enticing for either of us.
My son doesn’t have any more baby teeth to be swallowed during lunch, and he’s a certified expert on the California Missions, so elementary school has apparently done its job. It’s always fun to watch your kids outgrow something, because then we get to see what they grow into next.