The Blessings of Skinned Knees

She came through the door in a burst of energy and babble, a leopard-print face mask dangling off her little finger.

“School was so great today!  Hi Ziggy!  Mom it was great!  I’m wearing a tank-top tomorrow it was so hot.  See what I did to myself?”

After more than five months, my 8-year old finally got to go back to school.  

Five months.  Holy cow.  It feels like it was five years ago.

When she showed me her banged up knees, I almost wept from joy as she told me how it happened.  The details were sketchy, leaked out to me in a torrent of other thoughts she had about her day.  But the gist was the same…she was playing with friends and fell.

“It hurts but I didn’t even care because it was just so awesome to be at recess!”

Those skinned knees are a blessing because they are a sign of a return to normal.  Time spent with friends.  Learning from a teacher instead of relying on mom and Pinterest.  Talking, laughing, running, climbing…just being a kid.  Life isn’t as it was five months ago, and probably won’t be for some time.  She had to wear a mask and there was no salad bar in the cafeteria (truth be told she was probably more upset by the latter than the former…the kid loves her veggies.)  But Wyokiddo got to go to school, meet her teacher, play at recess and see her classmates.  

This day has been fraught with anxiety for so many parents, teachers and administrators.  Questions like is it safe, how can we manage it, why do we have to wear masks and so many others have plagued our country for months.  It took a herculean effort on the part of a lot of people but here we are, skinned knees and smiles after a day at school.

I know in my head this isn’t over.  Wyokiddo’s class was missing a few students who chose online learning either because they can’t risk exposure to the virus or don’t want to wear masks.  My husband and I discussed that with our daughter, and told her each family has to make the right decision for their family and our job isn’t to judge but to support them in their decision.  

There will be more people made sick, more death.  My heart clenches at the thought of the losses still ahead.  We aren’t back to normal, not yet.  It’s naive and careless to think that it’s gonna be smooth sailing and lollipops.  But today was a step in the right direction.  My kiddo came home with a smile on her face, scabs on her knees and a song in her heart that she hasn’t sang in five months.

So to the teachers and coaches and paras and the administrators and the school board members out there…thank you.  I know you’ve been raked over the coals and second-guessed up one side and down the other.  You’ve had to suppress your personal opinion and thoughts in the face of your position.  You’ve enforced rules you didn’t create and carried a message you don’t wholeheartedly believe in.  I see the weariness on your face and hear the emotion in your voice.  I don’t know exactly what this has cost you, emotionally, but I can take a guess.

But you did it.  You did it because you believe in your cause and you know what I know…

Our kids need school and each other and a whole community to make them feel whole.

We’ve got a long way to go.  We’re gonna fall down and skin our knees a lot more still as we work back toward the world we knew just five short months ago.  But for now, I’ll take some time to just relish that we all had courage, took a step and started our journey back toward life.

Those skinned knees are a lovely sight indeed.