High School Flashbacks

Along with back to school time comes Open House.  Over the past week I have attended three open houses for elementary school, middle school, and high school.  I think I have even lost a few pounds from all the walking I did to get to each child’s class.  Last night was the most challenging.  It was Open House at my daughters High School.  I have two in high school this year and as I stood in the front of their huge school, my head started hurting thinking about how I was going to get to twelve classes to represent both of them.With their schedules in one hand and a four page map in the other, I began my quest to find their homeroom classes.  I pass parents whose children went to preschool with my girls. We say the typical words we never thought we would say, “how did we ever do this”???  I was running a little late and ran to get to homeroom class before the bell rang (yes, they actually rang the bell). I didn’t make it in time so I had to walk in after the teacher had started talking.  I actually broke out in a sweat.  It was like having a flashback to twenty years ago.  My first thought upon entering the crowded room was the same one I had as a young freshman.  “Why did I wear this shirt and why didn’t I wear my hair down?”  I did a quick scan of the room to decide which desk to sit in and was surprised to see that even as I am entering my forties, I could still pick out the jock, the homecoming queen, the brainiac, and the shy ones.  I grabbed the closest seat, everyone staring at me as I walked in late.  Every 10 minutes the bell would ring and we would have five minutes to get to the next class.  When we were teenagers, 5 minutes seemed like a long time.  When I was in my teens, during that break, I always had enough time to go into the bathroom and fix my scrunchie and put on my lipsmakers.  Fast forward 20 years and I am huffing and puffing to get to each class.  I am surprised that the kids don’t need a GPS to find their way around.  I swear the high school campus is as big as the university I attended.  By the time we got to the sixth period my knees hurt, I was short of breath, sweaty, and worn out.  I heard one kid snicker when his mom asked how far away his next class was. He mumbled to her, “Now you see what I go through”.  It is true!!!!  Sometimes when I pick my daughters up from school I find myself reminiscing about those good ole easy high school days.  But as I sit here with icy hot on my sore knees, I think tomorrow when I pick them up I won’t miss it as much.