When a Son No Longer Rides The Bus to School

This morning the kids began their school year. Who knows what eighth and tenth grade holds for them, but I'm sure it'll be the usual mix of ups and downs.

Every year this day makes me reflective as a father, but today even more so as I watched Dylan not get on the bus, but rather catch a ride to school with his friend that lives across the street.

It brought me back to when Dylan Wood use to take me to school.

I can't remember how Dylan and I first became friends, but he was definitely one of the "weird kids" at school. Somehow I became part of his circle of friends who were older than me. It was through them that I first got exposed to the Internet through a borrowed Dartmouth account and I can't thank them enough for that.

Dylan and I would ride to school every day in his big old beat up car. The details of what it was are fuzzy, but I know it was huge and old.

He had a little skinny boom box that every day he'd play a different cassette in on the ride. Boy did I ever get exposed to some new music on those rides. He loved Frank Zappa so that would come up quite often. So would a variety of metal bands and I recall us being excited when Dr. Feelgood from Motley Crew came out because we drove down to Strawberries immediately after school to buy copies.

I don't know what Dylan is up to these days. I know he was in the Navy and thanks to the Internet I know we've randomly crossed virtual paths a couple of times.

Haven't thought of him in years, but this morning as I watched my Dylan ride off with several other boys it gave me pause. These things are little, but who knows what memories he'll form on the few miles between here and High School?

Before I know it, he'll be driving himself!