August 7, 2000

DOWN HOME:
Back-to-school can really sneak up on sappy dads
___Back-to-school really snuck up on me this year.
___(I know, high school English teachers everywhere, "snuck" really isn't a word. But I like the non-word "snuck" better than the real-word "sneaked.")
___Most of the time, you can see back-to-school coming a mile away. But this year, a mile

MARV KNOX

away from back-to-school still seemed like the alley of the last school year.
___That's because school seems to start earlier and earlier. This year, Lindsay and Molly's first official day of school is this Thursday, Aug. 10.
___But that's only the first official day of school. Sure, we'll still take pictures of them beside a dining-room chair, so years from now we'll be able to see how they've grown. It's almost a moot point, now that they've grown far beyond the top of the chair, but parental back-to-school traditions die hard.
___In reality, Lindsay started back to school weeks ago. The first day of camp for the drill team was July 24, and she's been rising early and hauling off to school almost every day since then. Molly got a week's reprieve, but she had middle school cheerleader camp and a mini-camp for band last week.
___By the time they shoulder their backpacks and sharpen their pencils this week, the 2000-01 school year will feel like an old thing.
___To tell you the truth, I'm kind of glad back-to-school snuck up on me this year. To put it theologically, you could call it mercy schooling.
___See, I'm usually pretty sappy about stuff like this. Do you know how many months until Lindsay crosses a stage and graduates from high school? Twenty-one. And if I thought about it, I'd be sad that this time next year my "baby" will be in high school.
___When back-to-school rolls around, I'm usually moping around the house about the start of another school year. Not because I mind the homework and regular routine and start of football season. It's just that I know how fast the next nine months will pass, and that reminds me how quickly these wonder years of our children's childhood are passing.
___A friend who has older daughters recently described how much he and his wife enjoy their current phase of life. Their children also are adults, and good friends.
___I know that's true. My experience confirms it. Every phase of parenting has been wonderful. I still miss our preschoolers, but I now enjoy their almost-grown-up humor and their emerging insights into the big, wide world.
___But their time at home is passing all too quickly. Thank the Lord, I've always known these are the good ol' days, but the time God has given us under one roof is counting down.
___So, it's a good thing back-to-school snuck up on me this year.
__

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