Uniform

The prospect of Jack attending a private middle school has been a steady focus for us since last August when we decided to try our hand at having him apply. We selected three within a reasonable distance from our home. Two of which were very hard to get into; one basing the decision on report cards, teacher letters and the ISEE exam, the other, on report cards and the admission interview.

What we did not anticipate and what came as a total and complete delight was that Jack was accepted to all three. I had actually hoped that these schools' selection process would kind of make the decision for us. Lame, I know.

What ensued was a soul searching debate over which school to enroll him in that sent me into a tailspin. I really had to think about who Jack was now, visualize him as who I saw him to be in high school and hope that whatever decision EM and I made would ensure that he would continue to enjoy learning and not flounder. Each of the school acceptance letters arrived on the same day and each gave us ten days to make our decision and come up with the (gulp) down payment. Jack favored two. One an art school with a progressive approach to teaching, a half hour from where we live, and the other a more academically demanding school where one has to wear a uniform and also the same distance away. The art school insisted they had an academically rigorous curriculum and the uniform school insisted they had a great arts program. EM and I were completely torn. The decision we had to make brought me back to my childhood and to the choices that were made for me and then memories and feelings floated up to the surface making this a very emotional decision for me.

I had to cash in several of my "wise parent" chips and hope that our choice will pay off. So come September, Jack will wear his hair slightly shorter and look like everyone else. Yup, Jack will be wearing a uniform -- which ostensibly should cut down on the time it takes to get us out of the house in the morning. Come to think of it, maybe I should wear one too

EM and I also made a pact that once the decision was made that we wouldn't look back and agonize over the decision.

So, with that in mind, I am visualizing pool side Mojitos as we are headed to Florida for spring break and to reunite with two of Makena's China cousins.

Is-a-uniform