Early Choices Start Things Rolling. . . .

My mother always felt that children learn about making choices by starting early. One early option given to me was whether to give up my morning nap or my afternoon nap. I always did like my naps, especially when I could sleep out in the back yard. My answer was neither, so she made the decision for me; the morning nap had to go in favor of Kindergarten.

When I started school we did not have two cars in every garage, and we often had to walk. The school was 8 blocks away, with two busy streets to cross, and my mother had three children in 25 months. She was not too keen on walking me, and pulling a wagon containing my sister and brother, up the hill. The answer to her prayers was a series of new kindergarteners between us and the school. Mom, my sister and brother escorted me to Eileen's home (2 blocks away). Eileen's mother escorted the two of us to Norma's home (3 blocks away). Norma's mother and little sister joined us as we walked to Peggy's home, which was just across the street and around the corner from school. Peggy's mother saw all of us into the classroom. Coming home was just the reverse. Peggy's mother, younger sister and brother got us down the hill to Norma's and so forth. Isn't team work wonderful? As we grew older we continued to travel to school as a group, and through the years the group grew larger. By the time we were in junior high school, we were walking 2 1/2 miles each way and picking up between 8 and 12 girls on the way.

The friendships formed that year were strong for the next 13 years, and most of us graduated together. Although Peggy's family moved to Arvada, we were still close and attended each other's graduation. At the ripe old age of 8 years old, each of us was given the option of joining Brownies or Blue Birds. As a group we opted for Blue Birds and Peggy's mother and my mother were the leaders. Since Peggy lived so close to school, and had a trampoline in the back yard, that was the best place for us to meet. We had a wonderful time learning to do crafts, learning about service, nature, and taking responsibility for our actions. Those years together brought us closer together and ultimately changed my life, but we will get into that much later.

I wonder what my childhood would have been like if I had actually opted for afternoon Kindergarten?