Well, He IS 10 Years Old

@SayWhatScooter: “Hey Dad. A girl at my school told me that she likes me”

Bossman: “Ooooh Scooter. Do you like her?”

Scoot: “Yeah, I guess”

MOMMY: “Hey. No liking girls til you’re 30!!”

Scoot: “Where’d you come from? You can’t be in here. This is MAN STUFF!”

In my previous column, I made a list of all of the wonderful things I had planned for summer. And though I accomplished less than a third of them, I enjoyed the process immensely. My family threw me a surprise party two weeks before my 50th birthday– and Bossman and I are in the process of buying a house. How I will miss being the Mayor of Morgan Road. But adventure awaits.

The Scoot spent his summer at every camp we could get him to: Richmond County Schools Cyber Camp, Kids University, MACH Academy, and Kids Across America. He spent the last one with his Dad in Branson, Missouri, and they left town the day after the party. Talk about dropping the mic!

I’d made HUGE plans for their week away. I would hang out late, go to hear all of the live music I could stand, enjoy adult beverages, work in my garden and not wear any pants.

Well, I did a little of that. But it was weird coming home to an empty, quiet house. That got old quickly. Even Georgia and RosaTBeardGordonParksThomas were acting out it seemed. Our home was definitely off balance without the menfolk, and it goes without saying that I was surprised at just how many little things I take for granted on a daily basis. Having realized that, I’ve made a commitment to be more present and to show up for those who are important, especially at home.

So we enter a new adventure. The Scoot at a new school, Bossman and I preparing for the transition to new digs, the big boys and girl are adulting nicely, and the puppies bringing up the rear.

I gotta tell ya about the new school. Scooter absolutely LOVES it. Of course, this is only the first week, so I haven’t had to threaten his life to get him out of bed just yet. More on that next time. Until then, continue to be kind.

Picked up Little Bossman from school yesterday, and his teacher was raving about how kind and patient he is with the younger children.

@SayWhatScooter: “I get my kindness from my Dad”

Really, dude?…it ain’t even #PettyWednesday

Karen Gordon is a singer, songwriter and the founder of Garden City Jazz. She works with the City of Augusta to present the Candlelight Jazz Concert Series each year and has partnered with RCBOE to develop interactive courses such as Taking Notes: Jazz & The American Story and Jazz4Kids.