Neighbor 1 stopped his car in the street near where Alex was walking and asked her if she wanted a ride home. Said he picks his daughters up every day, and wouldn’t mind!

Neighbor 2 stopped my wife this morning, and said she saw Alex yesterday, and she wouldn’t mind picking up Alex with her kids. (She also added she wouldn’t even let her boys walk home alone, like we need more to think about.)

Friend 1 saw Alex walking home, and reported in to my wife. How fast she was walking, what she looked like, what she was thinking.

I’m not sure if I should be grateful to have so many people looking out for my daughter, or annoyed!

Let’s go with gratitude.

Regardless, today is the first day of school.  An acquaintance called last night, they were under the impression school didn’t start until Wednesday.  I’m glad they called, boy wouldn’t that have been embarrassing!  Our kids seem, well, indifferent.  Madison doesn’t like new things, but Alex is usually excited about school.  Neither has talked about it much, they just seem to be rolling with it.

But the reason I bring it up is because, this year, it’s a little nerve-racking.  You see, the oldest has decided after school care is no longer socially acceptable.  She has decided she is old enough to walk home by herself; she no longer needs a bus or adult supervision.  Given what that will save us in after-school care, I immediately agreed with this idea.  Money aside, I’m still nervous about this.  Until recently, she would freak if left alone at all.  Now she wants the solitude?

And to make matters a little more difficult, I could not have a copy of the front door key made.  Lowes and Home Depot use the same machine to make copies, they didn’t have a slot that would fit our key.  Damn Brinks! So now she’s got to let herself in the back door, using her hot-pink princess key.  She’s supposed to call me both when school lets out and when she arrives safely at home.

UPDATE: She called on time both when she left the school, and when she made it home.  My wife had this to say:

I just spoke to her (I couldn’t wait, so I called her first).  She says she thinks she’s almost home.  She sounded giddy to be free to walk home.