Pencil and paper

It's that time of year again, the kiddies are going back to school. With my line of work during the daylight hours, it has been something I've been intimately involved with for many years. This year however, I got to do something new.

I'm on the other end of the school supply list! And it sucks! Yup, the shoe is on the other foot.

How did this thing we call school lists get so out of control? In the past as a parent, My Beloved handled all this stuff. That was her duty to fulfill. I never had little little kids around. I got the joy of parenthood with a teenager. By then, yeah, they're fairly self sufficient. That's not happening this year. Ragin' Cage has a school list about a foot long and I was in charge of getting it filled.

Here's my questions, why the hell does a kid need three styles of markers? Highlighters, permanent and washable? What the heck is that all about? We also have two styles of pencils, colored and regular #2. And not just any #2. It had to be 12, Ticonderoga presharpened pencils. Hey, isn't that why God made pencil sharpeners? Why the hell do we have to have presharpened?

Okay, this is where I go into flashback mode. Back in my day ... Yeah, that's right. We needed a pencil, a pen, a notebook and that was it. If your parents had a few extra dollars you got to have a book bag to carry it all in. I never had a new book bag. All I had was an old, army green duffle bag. It looked like army surplus to a little third grader. It wasn't pretty but it got the job done. They have these things now that are stretchy book covers. You guessed it. I covered all my books with paper bags cut to size from the grocery store. (Try finding a grocery sack these days).

I get it. Times change; things evolve and yes, many teachers have a tough job and use their own money to buy supplies for their classrooms. It get it, but sometimes evolution gets it wrong.

Oh, and he has to have headphones too ... really?