Well, it is official. Our daughter attended a screening day at the church school, and had so much fun that she decided she wanted to go. And when she decides something, it usually happens. There is no person I know who has such positive intention when she sets her mind to something. She repeats her intention as if it were already true, and it happens.
Last year, it was, "I am going to meet Richard Dean Anderson." She had it written on small bits of paper in her room. She repeated it often. She was convinced that she would meet MacGyver. The only problem was that the tickets went on sale on the Internet at 5 a.m. PST one day in January, and they sold out in two minutes. But by August, we had a photo of her with the biggest grin imaginable, squeezing the breath out of the poor guy.
Since her screening day at the school, she's been saying, "I'm going to the Academy next year." Her father and I were still discussing options and deciding about private school, but she kept repeating her intention. Of course, her desire played the biggest role in the decision, but the expense was a consideration that she did not control. Yet she kept repeating her intention.
One day I happened into the school office while I was at church, mainly to tell them that we were still seriously considering. The receptionist mentioned that there was another screening next week. I was shocked. I thought I had an understanding with the principal. Here they were, letting someone else test drive my new car when I had already shaken hands with the salesman. I panicked at the possibility of losing our option.
"Let me write you a check," I said.
After filling in the final paperwork and handing her a $300 non-refundable deposit check that secured the spot, she happened to mention that another child was intending to leave and open up a second spot. I smiled through my annoyance. She would have made a good car salesman.
Well, at least the decision is made. One more positive intention come true. Well, at least until the novelty wears off. We'll see if a lifelong homeschooling night owl can make it to school by 8 a.m. every morning after an evening full of homework. Hopefully we won't be hearing by Christmas, "I am going back to homeschooling. I am going back to homeschooling."