Entomology

One of the more remarkable aspects of parenthood doesn't really take shape until your children start attending school.  This isn't something anyone really prepares you for, either.  Parents only seem to relate shared experiences like this after the fact (much like the less-than-rosy aspects of pregnancy).  In school, your children spend most of their time with people outside their household, and yes, they get to make friends and play games at recess, but more importantly, school is where they receive their first taste of principle learning from someone other than their parents.  I suppose had my children been in daycare, they would have experienced some of this prior to attending school, but we were fortunate enough to never need daycare.

The oddest aspect of my children attending school (for me, anyway) is their genuine enthusiasm.  I remember initially being eager to attend school as a child, only to have that feeling evaporate as the reality of the grind set in.  Education "back in my day" was painfully dull.  Days filled with unnecessary repetition, coupled with lots of yelling and corporal punishment made for a poor learning environment.  Fun was rarely a consideration.

Thankfully, watching my children learn is anything but dull.  In fact, it is something to behold.  They're like sponges, eager to soak up everything within reach.  They're fascinated by things most adults consider to be mundane, because they're learning, reading, and discovering the mundane for the first time.  While I'm sure they will become just as dismissive as I am when they're adults, I'm grateful that moment has yet to arrive.

Their interest in (and enthusiasm for) learning is surprisingly contagious — especially when they decide to share as though we couldn't possibly know a thing about that fascinating subject they just learned in school.  When my son was in kindergarten, for example, they were studying insects.  The age appropriate nature of their studies involved identifying insects properly and understanding the differences between insects and arachnids.  During dinner, he decided to share some of the finer points he had learned during class.

"Insects have six legs, a head, a thorax, and an abdomen," he advised us.  "Spiders are not insects."

"Very good, mijo!"  My wife exclaimed, though he waved her off immediately as though she were ruining his train of thought.

"Spiders are not insects," he reiterated, before flexing his arms and dropping his five-year-old voice into as low of a growl as he could manage.  "They belong to SPIDER-MAN!!!"  

Of course they do.