Please label all your child’s school supplies…

I can’t think of the first day of school each year without laughing inside from my own first day of Kindergarten. 

We have already established in yesterday’s post that I loved new school supplies. If you know me at all, you also know that I do love clothes. So of course I would remember in great detail the dress my mom bought me for my first day. Or maybe it was my dad because I inherited my appreciation of a good cut of style and great fabric from him. 

It was black and white plaid. Small plaid. Just the right size. And it had a large white circular collar that was quite popular in the 60’s. I felt as glamorous as my eight years older than me sister who was heading off to eight grade and always looked so pretty. 

My mom had written my name on all my school supplies so they wouldn’t get lost or confused as being someone else’s. As I finished getting ready, I had the notion that I wanted to make sure everyone knew this lovely dress was mine so I took a pencil and scrawled “Laura” across one section of the collar. 

I assume the reaction of my mom and the following moments where she scrambled for an alternate outfit along with the trauma of realizing I would not be wearing this to make my grand entrance into my years of education etched enough of a memory that the dress alone may not have held. 

Here’s to the first morning chaos and for those of you who wore dresses, white ankle socks and Mary Jane’s to school every day…I understand your confusion when you see no sign on the horizon of anything fancier than crocks and athletic shorts headed to the school bus.