August 22, 2012

School Days and Rituals

Champagne and midnight kisses may start the calendar, but in our house, the year really begins with the first day of school.

This time is rife with tradition for us. We have, of course, the crisp pages of new notebooks, the stiffness of a fresh-off-the-shelf backpack. The lunches are packed with wide variety, all their favorites, a day they can remember when in October the baggies are filled with whatever is left in the pantry because we haven’t been to the grocery store in two weeks.

Our daughter performed a fashion show, gauging which outfit to elevate to first-day apparel based on our appreciative claps. Our son pulled on a T-shirt, checked to see if there were any holes or major stains, and headed out to breakfast.

Since they started preschool, we have added our own household tradition of decorating the walls and halls with signs and crepe paper. These aren’t fancy, store-bought signs – just the result of my labors with Crayola markers and scotch tape. “Happy first day” in block letters. #1 Highland Bluebirds. We’re proud of you. We love you.

Typically, both kids roll their eyes about the signs, especially when friends come over. But somehow the signs stay up for weeks. 

As we tucked the kids into bed last night, our 11-year-old rolled over. “Um, mommy,” she said. “Are you still going to decorate?” 

She shrugs off my hugs (in public) and didn’t need us to walk her into the classroom, but some traditions you don’t outgrow. 

I didn’t write this blog (mostly) so that I could post their first day pictures (but aren’t they cute?!). Rather, the experience made me think about ritual. In the midst of crazy lives, of first-day jitters and anxious moms, rituals give shape and meaning to the chaos around us. 

As parishes start the program year, it’s worth considering how we balance new initiatives with cherished traditions. And to remember: ritual matters, even when you’re 11.