Common Mom

Jason is moving from Montessori to public school this fall - he’ll be in 2nd grade. So, we had our first experience shopping for school supplies - oh joy! I can’t complain that the store was packed or the school supplies area was a zoo - Target actually does an OK job with their layout so you’re not tripping on each other. What CAN I complain about? First, when I was in school (walking both ways up hill in the snow with no shoes), the supplies we brought were ours. We put our name on them and put them in our desk and that was that. My markers were MINE . . . little Tommy couldn’t wipe his snotty hands all over them and little Susie couldn’t push down so hard on them that the tips broke. I ws free to color as beautifully as I wanted. Now, the supplies are “community” - fine, but when they ask you to buy specific brands of some items, that’s ridiculous. For example, one item on the list was 24 Dixon brand pencils (SHARPENED!) - yes, capital letters and explanation point. Apparently Target does not carry that brand. But really? A specific BRAND of PENCIL? Come on people. They’re 2nd graders . . . lead is lead and a pencil is a pencil . . . unless someone who knows more about pencils can enlighten me. Basically, I refused to drive somewhere else just to get a specific brand of pencil. The ones we did choose do have the straight sides so they won’t roll - I did think that far ahead. But silly me . . . guess I’ll be “that parent” on the first day of school. The other item was a scissors . . . groovy, I can pick out a scissors at Target in the school supply aisle! Um, apparently not . . . specifically, Jason needed a sharp pointed Fiskars brand scissors . . . that’s exactly what it said on the list. We looked everywhere in Target and no such scissors existed there. Oh there were tons of scissors available for purchase - tons of $2 scissors. But alas, none of them had a pointy tip on them of the name Fiskars etched in to the steel blade of the cutting surface - safety first! So I went to Jo-Ann Fabric, and of course they had a pointy Fiskars brand scissors - I mean, they are the craft store to beat all craft stores! Do you know how much this lovely pointy Fiskars scissors was? $13! Really - $13! We got out of Target with every other school supply on the list (and it was big for a 2nd grader!) and paid only $26. Then, the friggin’ scissors cost $13! I couldn’t believe it. It’s still in the package, in the bag, with the receipt. I’m not sure we’ll keep it. Did I mention he’s SEVEN? Really, do they HAVE to have the $13 scissors for arts and crafts at school? And the ruler . . . they ask every kid to bring a ruler, which will then be community property. Shouldn’t this have to happen only the first year? Then they’ll have 30 rulers in the classroom for next year? Or do they hand them out at the end of the year to each of the students to take home? And if they do that, then why don’t they just let you label it and keep it in your desk all year?

And don’t even get me started on the “other” items on the list . . . hand wipes, a box of facial tissue, Ziploc bags, package of copy paper . . . I’m 100% sure those items were never in my school bag on the first day of school.

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