Light-bulb moment

Daniel turns 6 in May 2012. In South African terms that means that he would go to Grade R next year and then Grade 1 in the year he turns 7 (2013). The girls will only go follow 2 years after him.

I have been writing an angst-filled post about what school to send the kids to in my head for the longest time. I was going to carefully lay out the pro’s and con’s of the various schools we are considering.

Just briefly, there are were 2 schools on our ‘short’ shortlist. The one is the reason we moved to the suburb we live in because it has a really good reputation, but I just felt it was way too big. Big classes, many classes. Everyone that has their kids there love the school. In fact, it is the main feeder school for the pre-school our children are at now and many of Daniel’s mates will be going there next year.

The other school is the school Etienne and I went to (yes, we went to the same Primary school). He loved it as he grew up with all the kids and they are still his best friends. I hated every single minute of it. Hated most of the kids and the parents as we moved halfway through my Grade 7 year from a small town and a lot of the little girls were snobbish backstabbing bitchy little primadonnas.

I would run into these girls from time to time since then and it would still feel like they were looking down their noses at me like I’m a second-class citizen (my own shit, I know). Now that I’m all grown up I’m not really phased at all. People just are who they are and I have too many fabulous friends to spare a self-destructive thought for these folk.

I have been leaning toward sending the kids to this school because it is smaller, in a really good area (we would probably have to move to be able to put the kids in there, but not far) and also has a pretty good reputation. I forced my own little-girl horror down and thought that it might be “giving our children the best”.

Because all we want to do is give our children the best. Always.

Until today.

One of those girls that was at that school with us happens to work for the same company I work for now and we often run into (pass) each other. I always try to catch her eye to greet her, because God forbid someone should think I am rude. And she mostly avoids me. Which makes me feel 12 years old and very, very small.

Then I realised something. If our children go to ‘that’ school it might not be the best choice for them. They might turn out to have as much emotional shit as I do or they might turn out like that snobby, bitchy chick. And I don’t want my kids to be either of those. (I hear you wonder why their father turned out so nice. He’s freaky that way)

So kids, sorry. Mommy works, Daddy works. We live in a pretty good area with a damn fine school just down the road. And there will be other issues you will have to deal with, but they won’t be the same issues Mommy had to deal with (hopefully).

We do the best we can. Always.

Love you muchly.