Schools for us have not always been easy, but let me say what is effortless and feels really, really good… to stand on your veranda, still in your pj’s with a hot cup of coffee in your hands, while watching your girls run to school, free as birds with hair flying and bare feet.
For me nothing in this picture was ever abnormal, except I took the school bus every day. I grew up with leather feet and dirty knees. I only put on shoes in the cold winter months (sometimes) and freedom was the only rule I knew. When the girls started school in the US I couldn’t fathom being a kid and having to wear sneakers for over 6 hours a day and not go outside when it rained! Although this will be short lived, it still makes my heart sing to watch my kids with the same freedom that I grew up with as they come and go, run free, rain or shine.
Not much has changed at Russell Primary since I was a child. The enrollment is slightly smaller now and each class has two years (grades) instead of one. You can still arrive at 8 o’clock to have an hour of free play before the school day starts at 9 and the classrooms are filled with inviting toys to learn with. The art and science rooms that were created when the class numbers shrunk offer great outlets for young minds. They don’t have soup and sausages on Fridays anymore, but in the winter they get soup once a week and every day during morning tea and lunch platters of fruit are handed around for all to enjoy. There are still wood burning stoves in the classrooms for cold winter mornings and swimming lessons every day in the warmer months with the option to swim at lunch. Needless to say, my kids have become fish in the water…
So as I stand on the porch and ponder what happened to my small babies that grew wings and have started to fly, I am very thankful that my girls are experiencing a piece of me and my childhood. I am also remembering to hold onto my last little one just a wee bit longer if I can. You can check out the fun that Byron and I have at Playcentre… once I get to that post!
xoxx Susanna
