Kindergarten...It's not for Sissies.

I loved school. I mean to the point that it was annoying. I loved everything about it.

The beginning of the school year was always a hopeful time full of exciting things and events. The smell of new pencils, the weight of a new backpack filled with textbooks covered in grocery store bags, new PeeChee's ready to be written up with the names of all the cute boys that I knew were destined to like me, back to school clothes, lunch boxes. All of it.

And the big moments that you waited for all summer long. Who is my teacher going to be? Who is in my class? Which pod am I in this year? (Sidebar - I mostly went to Walt Disney Elementary school in California...that's right, the Mouse man himself. We had several pods named after areas from the Disneyland resort. It was really quite unique. I loved that school.)

I used to not be able to sleep the night before school started. The excitement was tantamount to waiting for the Tooth Fairy...wishing for goodies from the Easter Bunny...wondering what Santa was going to bring. In other words, it was the BIG TIME.

And yet, there's really very little that I remember about grade school. I don't remember my Kindergarten teacher. Actually, I don't remember a whole lot before 3rd grade when we moved to California and I started at my new school there.

However, I vividly remember my first day of 3rd grade at Walt Disney. We were lined up outside the classroom waiting to be let in. Most of the kids mom's had hung around to help us get things going. This adorable little boy, Justin Torpey, was throwing his lunch bag up in the air and catching it over and over and over. All of a sudden, he miscalculated his throw and the bag went up and over onto the roof of the school. To which Justin's mom said, "Way to go Justin." with disdain that only a really, really cool mom could throw down with.

It was quite possibly the funniest thing I had seen and after I realized that his mom wasn't going to string him up by his toes right there in front of us, I felt a flood of relief. I may have been the new kid in school, but at least I wasn't dumb enough to throw my lunch bag onto the roof in front of everybody and their mother. (Pun intended)

(Sidebar #2 - if you noted Justin's last name - Torpey - don't forget...my last name then was Torgensen. Justin and I sat at the same table in the same classes for the rest of my time at Walt Disney. And believe me, that little twerp lived up to his first impression and then some!)

As far as what I actually learned those early primary school days - I don't remember a whole lot of specifics. I came out of it knowing how to read, write and do some basic math. Really basic if you ask my family how good I am at math to this day. But overall, I don't remember those early years as some big springboard to academic super stardom.

Fast forward to 2008...my oldest child, Lexi starts Kindergarten this year. In 10 days. Whoa.

We went to her orientation Friday and according to the 3 Kindergarten teachers, and I quote, "Kindergarten is the most important year or your child's education. It will 'set the tone' for the remainder of their academic career."

Academic career? Are you kidding me? Last time I checked, college applications didn't weigh Kindergarten as heavily as say your SAT scores, or high school graduating grade point average. It's Kindergarten for Pete's sake! (Who is Pete, anyway? I'll have to Google that one)

I believe that if you can get through Kindergarten without eating paste or cutting a finger off making snowflake ornaments that you're ahead of the game. Apparently, I am wrong.

I am now officially freaked out. She has homework every week. Homework! This for a kid who can't remember her own name half the time.

She has reading assignments to do on a daily basis. Uhhhh, not a bad idea, but she can't even read yet! How on Earth is she supposed to do "reading homework"? Isn't that an oxymoron or some such thing?? Maybe if I would have been paying attention when I was in Kindergarten, I would know that.

All I know is this - without my even knowing it, a race has begun. The starting gun has blasted and we are in it now. Because like it or not, it's a competitive world out there. And my "baby" is going to be an academic superstar if I have anything to say about it. Which means we have to get on board with the serious business that is apparently going on in the Kindergarten world of today. This isn't about socialization and basic letter, number, shape and color concepts - this is war!! And we intend to win!! We're going to learn, learn, learn and get those little monsters off to an auspicious start!!!

Hopefully we won't end up too busy getting her lunch bag off the roof to make sure she does okay.