Hoedown Day

Today was my daughter's last Hoedown Day at Pirrung Elementary School in the 'burbs of Dallas, Texas. Hoedown Day falls in early April each year, and it in no way remotely resembles any experiences I ever had in Oregon or suburban D.C. elementary schools.

My daughter participated by starting with "I Love a Rainy Night," and finished with The Cotton-Eyed Joe--with her Mom. Uh, she failed to warn me about that one. Yes, I complacently made my way to the gym in capri pants (it was warm today) and open toes in heeled sandals only to find my unsuspecting self corralled like a horsey into doing grapevines, spins, hitting my left knee with my right hand, and swinging 'round with my girl right there in front of God and everybody. While other kids called out to their parents what to do next, my daughter just grinned and let me look like a klutz.

Alexandra's cowboy shirt was once long sleeved, but now it's three-quarter length. The length of her black pants above her black boots hinted at the three inches she has grown since Christmas. And the faint smell of kids' perspiration in the room left a not-so-subtle hint that the days of doing the Boot Scootin' Boogie in elementary school are coming to a close.

I console myself with this: I never again have to face those laughing onlookers.