School's Out

It was Josh's last day at school yesterday. He is off to a new school which is nearer to where he lives now once the summer holidays are over.

His school he went to for the last few years was my old school so it was kind of fun seeing him doing things that I remember doing at my time there.

I was getting him ready for a birthday party last night and when he took his shirt off I, being the observer that I always am, reminded him that it was the last time he will ever wear that school uniform.

It reminded me of the evening of my last day there in 1990. I was getting ready to go to Newquay and when I took off my uniform I had these feelings of both loss and excitement. I knew it was the last time I would be wearing that one uniform but more challenges awaited me at high school.

It didn't hit me until I was at home that evening, though. For the whole day I was surrounded by classmates bawling their eyes out not wanting to leave. My best friend, Paul and I werre the only ones who didn't seem upset at the changes our lives were about to take.

I look back with pride knowing that I outlasted the school tough guys in the shedding tears stakes. It was my greatest accomplishment against them until beating them at GCSE's 5 years later!