A whole bunch of paradigms shifted tonight. A fun-loving neighbor turned into the Chair of Foreign Language for our local middle school. People I only know through socializing as adults (Ragnar, Soccer, Running) are suddenly sitting in the bleachers with me learning about elective courses and locker assignments. I have no clue who their kids were, how old they are, or that the woman sitting next to them was their spouse. Apparently their kids are also rolling into 7th grade next year.

Oh, man. I remember the morning after my wedding I accidentally banged my wedding band against the glass of my car window. What was that? Oh, that! Married! It was so novel. Even the word felt funny when I associated it with me. Then, the kids showed up. Same thing- leaving the car seat on the roof, driving off... just kidding. I can't remember much about those first few years, but I remember that feeling of, "Oh my god- I'm a parent! Now I need to keep some kids alive for 18 years.

...which brings me to the seventh grade orientation. I vividly remember these events myself; going from the big dog at one school to a nobody at Central Junior High (since torn down- poor kids these days will never get to burn the crap out of their arms on the radiators or enjoy the leftover cigarette smoke from the English teacher's classroom). Suddenly, girls were starting to look like women, dudes ranged from babies to facial hair, you started to see the quirks, weaknesses, the simple humanity (and occasional tyranny) of teachers, and the commencement of the gawky phase of life with its inherent innocence, confusion, and lessons. Like millions of parents before me, we're about to embark on Act II of parenting and I couldn't be more curious how this is going to play out.

I can't believe we're here.

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