The more things change...

Last Monday I experienced the most surreal moment in which I handed over the keys to my firstborn, got into the passenger's seat of my very own vehicle, said a heartfelt prayer, firmly gripped the door handle and held my breath as he proceeded to drive me and his little brother home from the DMV.  

I never anticipated the level of strength it would take for me to hand him those keys. We walked out of the DMV where I had to call him a party pooper in order to get him to pause briefly for a pic.  When we approached the car, I went to get into the driver's seat at which he looked absolutely appalled and asked, "What? You mean you're not going to let me drive?" 

"Er, you mean now", I muttered. "As in you want to drive right now?" He gave me that well-no-duh-Sherlock-what-did-you-expect look that all teenagers are experts at giving.  "Well o-okay. Okay...yeah, sure. I guess so", I managed and then quickly grabbed my phone to text Charlie what was about to go down and to request prayer. And lots of it. 

I think I held my breath the entire way home and my knuckles were white for three hours even though he drove perfectly fine. Oh yes, the times they are a-changin'. 

In other news, Dracen is in the sixth grade which means it's his (and our) last year of elementary school. I'll curl up in a ball and cry for days if I dwell on this little fact too long. 

He has the same homeroom/math teacher that Devin had for 6th grade. On the second day of school she told him that he had talked more in two days than his brother had talked in an entire school year. I literally LOL'd because I have no doubt whatsoever that this is 100 percent true. The boy likes to talk, a fact that has landed him in hot water on more than one occasion.

I've not yet received any notes or phone calls from any teachers this year (KNOCK ON WOOD) but I glanced at my phone (that was on silent) just before relaxation time at the end of my yoga class midday today when I saw a missed call that looked like it could very well have been from one of the schools but no voicemail. Let's just say I didn't do much in the way of relaxing. 

As soon as I could get out of there when class ended, I called the number back to get the assistant principal of the elementary school. When I asked if anyone had called, he said that it was probably the principal and to hold on a minute. I braced myself for what was coming. But she was just calling to see if he'd had an immunization required for sixth grade. I knew about the shot but had been putting it off for as long as possible because any time that child has had any kind of needle pierce his flesh, several adult medical personnel have been required in order to hold him down. 

I do not kid. 

She informed me that if he doesn't have it by next Tuesday, she will have to suspend him so I made him an appointment for tomorrow after school and am now in the process of taking applications for any volunteers available to assist me. 

The appointment was not yet made when I picked Devin up from school today since I was waiting on the doctor's office to call me back and he practically begged me to let him go to it. "For moral support", he said. Right. And I just fell off the turnip truck. I reminded him that the last time Dracen got shots (before starting kindergarten) he sat in the corner and laughed like a hyena the entire time. He claims he doesn't remember that and that things have changed and he's different now.

He forgets I live with them. Apparently.

Because the times?

They haven't changed that much...