by Nicole Loughan
My children are simultaneously growing up too fast and too slow.
My daughter will soon enter kindergarten, real school, for the first time. In case you are a starter mom like me and didn’t know, back to school starts well before September. School registration for kindergarten started for most districts in October, almost a full year before! Almost all parents in my district are already registered because in March the district arranges face to face meetings with the principal. From there it’s time to brace ourselves for an onslaught of information packets and back to school meetings.
The entry paperwork for school requires an original birth certificate. I couldn’t find it in the file cabinet so I had to go through my daughter’s baby box. I reminisced looking through all of her baby things, like her tiny cotton hat and hospital bands. The tiny circles meant for her infant legs fit perfectly around my middle finger. I felt the weight of her growth in that hospital band, looking at her wrists now half the size of my own. In just four and a half short years she grew into half an adult, yet I can barely recall time passing. I was holding my emotions together until I called the doctor’s office to request her immunization records. As soon as the receptionist said, “Is it that time already?” I broke down.
“Already” is right. How did time go so quickly? I feel like it was just a few weeks ago that I was e-mailing my husband daily updates on her size in my belly, “this week an olive, next week a grape!”
Suddenly, my little olive is the size of six pumpkins and ready to go out into the world without me.
At the same time it’s all going too slow. My son’s potty training has taken all of eternity, or so it seems. I would love to hit the fast forward button and go right past the wet pants, floor cleaning, and underwear rinsing. I need two life remotes, one to speed things up and another to slow things down.
Moments I would like to pause are the evenings were we cuddle up and read books together. I sit in a rocking chair and my children each jump into my lap, picking a leg to sit on as I rock and read “Good Night Moon” for the hundredth time. Or those moments when they were babies and would touch my face and stare into my eyes as intently as if they had just discovered a new jewel. I miss those moments when we would communicate with smiles and cooing.
Things changed before I knew it. Our baby toys, what’s left of them, are bagged up in the attic. Gone is the thrill of the drum that lights up when you hit it, there is no more joy from the puppet with a bell on his hat, nobody wants to push the paw button for a song on the Laugh and Learn Dog. Forget about the book with the squeaky toy between the pages. My daughter now wants my Kindle or to go to her friend’s house down the street and my son wants to push cars down ramps and watch Mickey Mouse.
I know it’s the natural progression of things that children age and their tastes change, but it’s still hard when you stop and realize how fast it’s all going. I can’t help but wonder when time will slow down again.
After filling out my daughter’s school paperwork, I popped over to the Facebook page of a friend with nearly grown children and saw something that gave me a clue to how long this time distortion lasts and it aptly described my feelings. In the caption of a picture of her son’s college acceptance letters she wrote, “I’m not ready for this yet?”
Find Hunterdon County Schoool Registration Information:
Alexandria Township: Alexandria Township residents who have children who will be five years old on or before Oct. 1, 2014, should notify the school as soon as possible by calling 908-996-6812.
Lebanon Township: The Lebanon Township School District will offer a preschool program for children ages 3 and 4 for the 2014-15 school year. There are a limited number of spaces that will be chosen at a lottery drawing to be held at the district’s February Board of Education meeting. Details regarding the program as well as an application form are available on the district’s website, lebtwpk8.org, or by calling the Valley View School office at 908-832-2175.
Clinton: Kindergarten registration is now underway at the Clinton Public School. The child must be five years old on or before Oct. 1. To register, go to cpsnj.com or call the school at 908-735-8512. Applications are also available on cpsnj.com and must be returned by March 30th.
Delaware Township: Kindergarten registration for Delaware Township children who will be five years of age on or before Oct. 1, 2014, will be held at Delaware Township School on Tuesday, Feb. 25, from 9-11 a.m. and 1-3 p.m. Those whose last name begins with A-O are scheduled in the morning and P-Z in the afternoon. Call 609-397-3179, ext. 402 for a registration packet.
Readington Township: The Readington Township School District is conducting full-day kindergarten and first-grade pre-registration for the 2014-15 school year. Those with a child who will be attending kindergarten or entering first grade from a private kindergarten in fall 2014, can call either Three Bridges School at 908-782-2141 or Whitehouse School at 908-534-4411 to pre-register. In-person registration is planned for both Three Bridges School and Whitehouse School on Tuesday, March 4, from 6-8 p.m., and Wednesday, March 5, from 9-11 a.m.
Tewksbury: Kindergarten registration in Tewksbury will take place during the month of February. Registration documents are available on the school website at tewksburyschools.org.
Holland Township: The phone number to call is 908-995-2401, ext 310.
West Amwell Township: Registration for children who will be 5 years old on or before Oct. 1, 2014 will be held at the West Amwell School on April 9-10. Kindergarten students for September must be registered by Apri1 1. The only registrations permitted after April 1, are for students just moving into the district and proof of new residency must be provided. Registration will be by appointment only. For more information, call 609-397-0819.
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