Charlie comes home tomorrow, and I can’t wait. When he drives up in the afternoon, I’ll be waiting eagerly, poised by the back door. And as he swings the door open wide and our eyes lock, my joy will cause me to leap toward – and right past – him with my purse and keys in hand. As I tear down the driveway in my SUV, I’ll gaze lovingly at him in my sideview mirror, watching until he’s covered and dragged out of view by a swarm of children.   

No, not really. The kids’ll probably have me tied up in the middle of the living room by that time, so I won’t be able to escape.

Besides, we have to tag-team the school open house that night. Three classrooms to visit, three teachers to meet for the very first time (in our county they don’t share classroom assignments until the open house – argh), three kids to keep happy, entertained, and behaving.

We already have a game plan.

First to the fifth grade classroom, for a quick “hello” to Little Charlie’s teacher. Drop off the load of supplies and hustle the brood to the third-grade hall. Find Hannah’s classroom and make sure to introduce her to her teacher, let her sit in her desk, and put away all of her supplies in an orderly fashion. By this time, Abby will be ready to explode with excitement, so we’ll sprint to her kindergarten room.

We’ve saved Abby’s room for last because it is where we will spend the most time. While Abby and her siblings pull out all the toys and books and generally cause chaos, we will pull the teacher aside, gather her in a warm embrace, and warn her. You see, Abby is – um – intense. She’s had the nickname “Screamigail” since she was six months old. Partly because of her personality, and partly due to her birth order and much more easygoing parenting on my part, she truly believes she is the “Queen of the Universe.” So I have my work cut out for me. My plan is to befriend Abby’s teacher so we can partner together in reining in my little runaway.

The year will be challenging for another reason, too. I’ve decided to be more intentional in reaching out to the kids, teachers, and other parents at the school. It’s not something I’ve really worked at before now. And my default setting is to kind of hide in the shadows and not make any trouble. Unfortunately, this means I don’t make any impact either.

I’ve been feeling convicted that I need to intentionally give love to the people in my surrounding community – starting with the kids’ school. So this year, I commit to do less of what’s comfortable and easy, and more of whatever God calls me to do. I’ll just have to see where that takes me.

As for Abby…

…do you think it’s possible for a kindergartener to be expelled? To be continued…