Isaac has spent a day at what will be his new school come September.
The school tried its best to make the day busy and engaging – but the lad still came home a concerned boy.
"I don't want to go to the big school, I want to stay where I am," he explained.
"It was so big and there were so many people, and I'll n
ever remember where everything is," he added.
I feel for my lad.
Transferring to secondary school from junior school is a big deal, an often unwelcome step into a wider world.
He would prefer to stay in a more closeted world with friends he has been with since nursery.
It's all part of growing up.
In a small way, it's a step away from his mother and I.
He won't see this, but in his new school he will gain a growing sense of independence, and we'll become less and less important to him.
So I suppose there is a selfishness to my sympathy for my son.
Of course I understand his trepidation, and worry about how the move may affect him.
But I also fear we may start losing the delightful, charming, articulate young man Isaac has become.
WHEN I was 14 my mother didn't like my long hair.
I loved heavy metal and honestly believed that my long, dank, straggly locks and flared jeans were the height of fashion.
There were many conversations during which I would be "encouraged" to make a meaningful visit to the barber.
I now find myself repeating those very conversations – with less patience – with my own offspring.
Gabriel has a fringe which needs his constant attention.
It flops like a limp rag across his forehead, requiring a nonchalant nudge from Gabriel.
Whereas Gabriel can eventually be persuaded to have a haircut, Isaac must be bribed.
And whereas Gabriel will sit and allow the stylist to just get on with the job in hand, Isaac has a very precise vision of how he wants his hair.
I'm just jealous of the amount of hair they still have on their heads.
GABRIEL is far brighter than I ever was.
I had to work really hard for moderate success at school, where Gabriel picks things up really quickly.
Thankfully, he's also got a work ethic which perfectly complements his brains.
He's put some serious revision in for his Year 9 exams, even for the subjects which he isn't taking next year.
My wife and I have been impressed. Isaac is just confused – revision is an alien word to him.
