While we were in California, Max spent a lot of time at Mama Syd’s school. A LOT.
It turns out that for a home school kid, a visit to a public school is like a vacation. New things to experience, residents to befriend and local fare to sample. There was even a t-shirt to commemorate his time away.
When Mama Syd brought home a crimson Ripon Indian’s tee for Max, he was over the moon. For weeks he haggled with me to wear it all day every day.
And then . . .
Last week he was running/skidding/sliding about in jeans and a white t-shirt. Very James Dean and I couldn’t fault him for his classic styling BUT 8 year-olds and white just don’t mix well. I was folding the Never Ending Pile of Laundry and had the favorite shirt right on top so I offered it to him.
“Uuuummmm. . . no thanks.”
I had to ask him to clarify. Why the change? Why now?
“Well. I don’t want to look like I’m just a viiiiiiisitor to South Dakota. I’m from here.”
With that he was off and I was left holding the shirt and making sense of it all. Turns out you can take the home out of the schooling but you can’t take the school out of the home. Here, Maywood Dr. in Rapid City, South Dakota is where it is at for my son. This changing, mercurial boy with his hot and cold passions has decided that he would rather be from here than anyone else and that does this mother’s heart good.
That, and we have an innate aversion to tourists that he seems to have picked up all on his own and that also does me proud.
It’s the little things.
