First Day of School (A Father's Point of View)

So, I partook in "First Day of School" festivities again this year(which usually consists of me taking pictures of the kids in the morning). As far as I can remember, I have done this every year since Skyler first started (Feel free to correct me, Mrs. Mustachio).I think my main purpose in doing this is to avoid hiring somebody else to take the pictures, because in all honesty the kids going to school doesn't really affect me that much.

When I go to the school on the first day I will see a few other fathers who have been convinced to partake in the festivities as well. No words are spoken between us, but a head nod usually conveys the message of, "You too, huh?" I have never spotted a father who is stoked about being a part of the first day of school.

Then comes the worst part: Seeing all of the sobbing mothers. I just don't get it. Not only that, the poor little kids see their moms getting all teary-eyed and they think they are being sent off to some horrible place. (This may be where a child's dislike of school develops). Then they start bawling. I don't know if this was just some ploy that the tissue companies came up with years ago, but I don't understand the whole crying on the first day of school thing.

Granted, I could possibly understand a little bit if it is in fact "the very first day" of school ever for any of your children. But if you are crying about dropping off your 2nd grader or your 5th child, then there is some sort of a problem. I started thinking about what the possible causes of the tears might be, and here is what I came up with:

1. The parents don't speak the language very well and have mistakenly thought that there is a chance that the school will actually keep their child. Those are usually the parents who are waiting anxiously at the end of school to see if their child gets released back to them. I have to assume that this would only occur for the first child going to school. After a few months of getting their kid back, they should realize their misunderstanding.

2. The parents realize that they are going to have to do homework again. I've never been a big fan of homework, and I think most of us feel a huge relief when our homework days are over. Except, we forget about the future homework we would have to be doing for/with our children. That first day of school probably brings the new era of homework to light and can cause some women to be moved to tears. Most dads aren't as involved in the homework process, so they are spared the wet eyes.

3. The parents have never left their child alone with anyone else. Seriously, why else would you be crying? It's not like you aren't getting the kid back in a few hours(unless you fall in the category of #1). Have you never used the service of a babysitter before? If anything, the teacher should be the one crying. They are the ones having to try and round up a class room full of crazy kids and try and teach them something.

4. The parents realize that their chore expectations have increased. Whoever is staying at home now has less responsibility with the kid being off at school. They now realize that their spouse might be expecting a house that is a little cleaner or a few less "projects" to do when they get home.

5. The parents can't deal with their age. Seeing your kid go to school may help you realize that you are in fact getting old. Guess what. It happens to everyone. Get over it already. What did you expect, some medical miracle that would stop people from getting older. Old people everywhere are evidence that you will be old too. Crying about it isn't going to change anything.

6. The parents realize that the belief of them knowing everything is about to be destroyed. It will only be a matter of time before the child brings home some jacked up word problem that leaves you stumped. The parent is crying just thinking about that future occurrence when the words, "I don't know" will be uttered. Which in turn will make, "Because I said so" less acceptable to your child.

I'm sure there are many other reasons, but those are the ones I could come up with (feel free to add to the list). I don't know that any of those reasons are worth crying over. I guess it is harder for me to understand because it doesn't change my routine much. I still get up and go to work before they have to go to school and come home after they do. There is some kind of unwritten understanding when it comes to homework. The kids seem to know that I don't want to bother them with what goes down at work each day. They in turn, don't seem to want to talk about what homework was done or wasn't done while I was gone. It is a pleasant understanding. Maybe that is my reward for being the first day of school photographer?