Weekend Update

It’s been an exciting weekend for me on a lot of different fronts.  First and foremost, I got to reconnect with a cousin, which delights me.  I could not be happier about that.  I also have the final manuscript of the novel, which I am proofreading for release.  And, of course, school started up again for Thor.

Several of my friends are, or have been dropping off kids at college and kindergarten  this month.  It’s been bittersweet to watch the posts.  Leaving your child in someone else’s hands is always upsetting.  Leaving your child in someone else’s hands, knowing that you are now entrusting them to an assembly line process designed to fill their brains and separate them from your side so that they can become fully functional adults is terrifying.

Advice I would give new kindergartners?

1. Make a friend, and be a friend.
2. Learn to write your name, and don’t worry when the teacher wants you to write it over and over again.  It doesn’t mean she has forgotten your name, or that she is slow.  She’s just trying to be sure it’s easy for you to write all the letters.
3. Eat your lunch and your snack at the appointed times.  School isn’t as forgiving of your tummy’s schedule as your mom is.
4. Always take the potty break when offered.
5. Have fun!

It’s very similar to the advice I have for new college students.

1. Make friends and join activities–be open to new ideas.
2. Realize that your professors might not ever learn your name.  That doesn’t mean you are lost in the crowd.  Work like they know where you live, even if they are never sure you are in their class because the GPA knows your name, and the GPA is unforgiving.
3. Remember to eat, and eat something that is going to add to your health.  You can’t live on Ramen and pizza alone.  Buy an apple now and then.
4. Always use the bathroom before class.
5. Have fun responsibly.  Don’t be that drunk kid sitting in the middle of the parking lot, crying over Cheetos because 20 years later, you will still be the example someone gives of what not to do.  Don’t be that kid.
6. Call your mother.  She means well.