First day of school: Melissa

When my brother and sister and I went to school, first day of kindergarten, my mother took the same series of shots of us--eight pictures, in a particular sequence, and she used the same explanatory text for each of us, typed with a portable typewriter on stick-on labels and affixed to the coarse black pages of the photo album. My brother did the same thing with at least one of his children, and we took the same series when Rebecca started school.

Today is Mel's first day of kindergarten, so we took the same shots of her. Here's the series, with my mother's text. My mother got to know Rebecca fairly well, but she only lived long enough to meet Melissa as a baby. She never knew how much her third granddaughter would look like her.

(I'm aware that there are continuity problems: Mel should have gotten dressed after eating breakfast. And yes, she slept in the same pants she went to school in. But that's okay.)

MELISSA'S
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

Today's the day--
my first day of school!

I'll eat a good breakfast---

And brush my teeth so I look nice.

I'll put on my nice new school clothes--

-
And kiss everybody goodbye---

And now it's time to leave---

Goodbye Everybody!

Here I am at the school-my day has begun!

Tags: kindergarten

Comments

[Susan]

1.

Just lovely! What a dear little soul she is. Now you need to construct a large collage of the entire crew in the same sequence. You can get archival-quality photocopies of the old shots. Once it's done you could get a made-to-measure frame for it. Good for your Mom, starting such a lovely tradition!

[Debra Hamel]

2.

Oh, my. I don't have the energy for such a project!

[Clare D]

3.

Sweet! Especially that last pic.

[Debra Hamel]

4.

Thanks, Clare. I'm happy to report that the day went perfectly. No problems. And no separation issues this morning. Incredible, really.

I'm now dealing with all the post-first-day paperwork.

[dshep]

5.

That's cool that you carried on Ruthe's tradition. :)

[Debra Hamel]

6.

Hey, Doreen! Thank you. How went the start of school for your kids?

[dshep]

7.

Smoothly, thanks. Deposited one freshman with his belongings in the dormitory on Sunday. The other freshman ambulated to the bus stop by herself very early Wednesday morning. I took no pictures.

[Debra Hamel]

8.

Oh, boy. I suppose you've outgrown the pictures.

Your comment made me start to wonder how many grandchildren your father would have. It's a little confusing... 2 + 3 + 4, I guess. And great-grandchildren is... 4 + 6, I think. There are even great-great-grandchildren now. Weird, no?

[Maryann]

9.

It would be nice to see the photos from YOUR first day of school also.

[Debra Hamel]

10.

That's easy! I looked like Mel, but with lighter hair.

Hmmm. Well, I don't do scanning. Not sure how I could do this easily. Maybe David could do some scanning.

Nice to see you taking time off to comment here!

[dshep]

11.

I think you are correct. 9 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren. I can't identify the great great grandchildren. Both you and your girls are my children's cousins. And 'you all' have never met?

[Debra Hamel]

12.

I couldn't actually name them all either.... Patty's son Chris just had twins, for example, but I don't know their names.

Never met your kids, no! I've just followed them in pictures. What makes it confusing is that you're so much younger than my mother. And Herbie's oldest daughter--your niece--is older than you. Very confusing.

[dshep]

13.

Yet your mom's children were just about my age. I'm between David & Diane, I think. Actually, three of my nieces, Rosanne, Patty and Susan, are all older than I am. Yet my kids are in the grandchild set and not the great grandchild set.

Would have been interesting if I continued to live in CT and kept in touch.

[Debra Hamel]

14.

It would have been rather different, certainly. You kind of disappeared, there.