Jupiter stools are suddenly in my orbit

Parenthood is a wild, wild ride. Super Bowl Sunday is our one year arrival in Savannah, GA. We arrived at our hotel in the afternoon checked-in, got the animals situated and ventured out for food. Everyone was watching the Super Bowl at Buffalo Wild Wings and for some reason we thought that would be fun. The Atlanta Falcons were playing that year and Buffalo Wild Wings was ground zero in Savannah. When we arrived the atmosphere was jubilant and chaotic, but once the Patriots took the lead the place quickly emptied out.

My how things have changed. This year we spent the evening with our neighbors, had dinner and went on with our usual Sunday routine. It was a busy week. I made my first steps into the sport of competitive childcare.

Hunter is at a good day care program at the local YMCA. It is a lottery funded pre-k, which means it is very competitive. How competitive you ask? So competitive that I was number five in line at 4:30am on Thursday morning to register. I expected there would be a line,  but I thought it would form around 5:30 with the doors opening at 6:00. I packed a little breakfast and had my favorite podcast downloaded ready to spend 90 minutes or so in my toasty, warm car with the heated seats at a comfy medium. No such luck dear reader. Instead I found myself fifth in line under an awning, in 34 degree temps with the most caffeinated, friendly and inquisitive parents this side of the Holland Tunnel.

I suffered through a barrage of questions regarding which kid was mine; inane banter about the Super Bowl; and of course praise for showing up for our kids. I was dazed and confused. I mostly grunted and nodded to most of the questions. I had my hood pulled all the way up and probably gave off the vibe that I was not as caffeinated or eager to commiserate.

Once I completed registration I headed back to the house for some hot tea and waited for Hunter to wake up to get him ready to head back to our regularly scheduled programming. The rest of the week was uneventful except for a visit to a very fancy private prep-school nearby. I took a friend who works there up on her offer to visit the campus. It was an eye-opening experience. I attended private, religious schools growing up in Brooklyn, but this was a next level experience for which I was scarcely prepared.

The classrooms were not the traditional desk, chair and linoleum floors of my youth. There were bean bags, electric screen whiteboards, 3D printers, Jupiter stools with laminate inlays that serve as collaborative spaces for students. All the rooms were warm and inviting with quite nooks tucked in corner spaces for quiet time. I walked around starry eyed wondering if this kind of place was right for Hunter. It goes without saying this kind of education is not cheap. This is a vision I had not considered before the visit. My outlook was limited to options in my immediate radius. Ladies and gentleman I have a lot to think about.

Jupiter stool with white laminate inlay