Today I’m at home with Abby and Riley, because Abby isn’t yet signed up for full-week school.
Thursday is Abby’s last weekday as a school-free kid until her summer break in kindergarten. It’s kind of depressing to think about the future she has to look forward to - another year of pre-school, 13 years of public school, and more years of higher education. A lot of it seems like a waste, although I read Paul Graham’s essay on what he wished he knew during school, and that makes it seem a bit more manageable.
All the while I’m trying to get her excited about the change in schedule. I feel so very hypocritical.
Nana came over to help out today, and I’m glad for that. Riley has his moments where he seems to want something, but can’t express it, and after you go through all of the common reasons for his wailing, there’s nothing to do but hold him until you can’t stand it any more and then put him down and let him cry until he passes out. Often when he gets tired he cries and it keeps him up, making him more tired, making him cry more, ad inifinitum. He has difficulty keeping the pacifier in his mouth when he’s falling asleep, and if it falls out, then he wakes up. It’s just a big circle of badness sometimes.
Other times, he’s fine.
An opportunity presents itself today that could be worthwhile. Yet most ventures of this particular breed have ended poorly. I wonder if I take advantage of it and set my expectations low whether I would be appeased. Why should one need to set one’s expectations low?
I’ll have to plan something special for Abby on Thursday. The more I think about it, the more it seems like it’s actually a big deal that nobody would realize until it’s too late.
