S is for Sea Change

There is something strange going on at my house and I’m not sure about the cause of it. And it’s been so long since I’ve seen The Exorcist that I can’t remember how the little girl was freed from Satan’s stranglehold, but I’m thinking it may have had something to do with entering Pre-K. This is because the only dramatic alteration in our lives lately has been the commencement of the school year, where S has been introduced to institutional-style education. I had been planning all summer for her to be a holy terror when school started because, well, why would she change? Instead, she has become a real sweetheart. She wants a lot of hugs and to hold hands when we walk and she’s very forthcoming about her day and what she’s done at school. She even tells JP and C she loves them when they go their separate ways in the morning. My thinking is that these days away from her parents and siblings, confined to a classroom where she’s told what to do and what not to do, has made her appreciate us more, and the comforts of her home and the leniency that’s found there. Or, perhaps, she’s enjoyed her time away, her freedom from our watchful eyes, and has already put down a security deposit on an apartment and is looking for an economical, but dependable, car for herself, and this is her way of saying goodbye to us. Either way is fine with me, because these first few days of the school year have been far more pleasant than I ever could have expected.