SCHOOL DAYS

Today brought back memories of yesteryear. What I mean is that today brought back memories of times past.

I'm in New York and going shopping for my grandchildren's school supplies. I drive to Stapples and expect to get parking in a lot that only holds about fifty cars. Well it takes at least fifteen minutes to get a spot, which for New York isn't really bad.

I get inside the store with a list from my granddaughter's teacher. It reads something like this:

4 packs of 10 #2 pencils
1 pack of washable Crayola markers-10 in the pack
1 pack of Crayola crayons 10 in the pack
1 lock with key
1 protractor
1 compass
6 marble note books with 150-200 pages
2 sprial note books
1 orange folder
2 black folders

This looks simple enough anyone could knock this list off in no time, right?
Well this small list took me approximately two (2) hours to complete.

Why! Why! Why!

First of all all I could find on the display were 24 in a pack pencils, not #2 but #2.5 and #3 pencils. Took me at least 10 minutes to find an assistant to show me where the pencils were kept and then disappear before getting the right number pencil. Just by chance I looked up to heaven for help and low and behold there they were #2 pencils way up on the shelf where the new products were not taken down yet. What did I do. Being only 5'4" I solicited the help of a taller mother, who also was trying as diligently as I was to fill our lists of demands by the new teacher of the new school, that the children are frantic to please by getting exactly what is on the list. Bottom line I accomplished getting #2 pencils in packs of ten.

The rest of the list took just as long with just as much drama.

So after almost 1 1/2 hours my list had been filled, now it was time to get on line to pay for my items. That was rather smoothly accomplished after spelling out to other frantic moms where the line started and that I was not one to tolerate being jumped ahead of.

After all was said the done, it cost me approximately 2 1/2 hours to accomplish what I thought was going to take 30 minutes max. Surprise, Surprise!

All this being said, this brought back memories of how over thirty odd years ago I did this every year for my son. Well all I can say is that thank goodness I am only grandma now and I don't really have to do this every year.

Babies and childrearing is truly for the young. My hat off and my prayers to all the grandparents with the difficult responsibility of raising their grandchildren. To those parents who have abdocated this responsibility to their parents all I can say is have mercy and step up to the plate and fullfil your job and give you poor old parents a break and allow them the joy of being grandparents, we deserve this at this time in our lives.

School days for parents are difficult too, so teachers please give us a break and try being a bit more flexible with your needed supply lists. Just how big of a difference is a box of 10 or 12 crayons anyway.