Second Grade

Consistent with all the motherly weBLOGs out there crying about their kids growing up and getting older... this dad's also emotional about his son getting older.  I don't remember much about my year in the 1st grade, except for drinking straight from a mustard bottle with my best friend Justin Hunt in the back of class.  He drank more than me but I enjoyed it just as much.  Everything else is pretty much a blur.  

2nd grade however is a different story.  I remember getting out of school early to go skiing with my older brothers.  My oldest brother Don, whose 17 years my senior, spent the entire day putting me around.  (Thanks big brother).  I remember the snow patrol having to go pick up my other brother Nick after he hurt his leg hot dogging it trying to do a flip (or something like that).  

Although it wasn't released that year, I remember always listening to Van Halen's song Jump!  Does anyone else remember when music used to be fun?

I definitely remember who the cute girls were and to my embarrassment, letting them know I thought so.  I still cringe at that.

I remember on January 28, 1986, watching the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster... live as it happened.  I remember seeing my teacher, Ms. Hydrick, panic because she didn't know whether to run and turn it off, cry or just pass out.  She almost immediately ran to the classroom next door to see if the same thing happened on their TV too.  I remember watching President Reagan on TV that night.

2nd grade for me was the year I realized the dumb stuff I did was dumb, and the good stuff was good.

If my boy's experience is any thing like mine was,  to him I simply must say and have told him, "Boy, please just do a little more of the good and a little less of the dumb."  He's only going into to the 2nd grade... I know, but for some reason I feel like he's got a little more on the line than I did.

I love you bud!