The Fifth

Ruby is ready to finish up fifth grade and take her place as the Queen of the School as a 6th grader next year.  Actually, she's ready to ditch this cow town and start studying guitar at UCLA immediately.  I have no doubt that she could live on her own in L.A. and do just fine in college, since she's essentially been an adult since birth.  But first, she has to finish a book report.  And elementary school.

Ruby's 4th term reading goal has taken a back seat to everything else lately.  She was blogging one night and Uncle Traj asked her which was more important, homework or blogging.  She said, "I don't have any 'followers' of my homework."   (Yes, she used air quotes.) So suddenly it's the end of the school year and two more books have to be finished up, now!  I was following her around this morning, reading out of The Family Under the Bridge while Ruby got ready.  She dashed off to school as I shouted the last page up the street.  I checked Ruby out at lunchtime to write her last book report.  With hours to go in the school year, Ruby finally has her 800 pages.  Can you say helicopter parent?  I don't care.  She'll thank me for teaching her to follow through when she's singing and playing guitar on the Santa Monica Pier to pay her rent in L.A.  It might come to that.  Music gigs are hard to get when you're eleven.