Tikkabik

Yesterday was a really bittersweet day -- a milestone in the life of the Cohen family. It was James' last day of preschool.

We've used the same preschool for all three kids -- a local cooperative called the Waquoit Nursery School. They're in Falmouth, and we're in Mashpee. Both of us have moved farther away from each other since we first met, to the other sides of Falmouth and Mashpee respectively, but we've still stayed connected. They're good folks, and our kids have learned and grown a lot under their care.

So we have a combined six academic years (and seven calendar years, since there was a one-year gap between Emmeline and James) of involvement with the folks at Waquoit. As a co-op, the school is much more dependent on parental involvement than many schools are, so I guess it's no wonder that we have such a strong emotional attachment to them.

It's also a bit sad knowing that this is the final kid we'll put through the school -- James is the last Cohen kid. Next year, he starts public school at the same elementary school that his brother and sister have gone to.

So I'll miss the regular interaction with those folks, and I'm sure that James will miss some of his friends who he's grown so much with over the past two years. What I won't miss is the monthly tuition bill.