Was The Gym Always This Small?

School budget elections are big news in every community.  Weeks and weeks of heated debates, number crunching, pencil sharpening, ruffled feathers and compromises come down to residents in tiny booths pulling levers to determine victory or defeat.  But last night, in Wantagh, the elections took on a whole new meaning for my family.  It marked the very first time that my son Matthew was eligible to vote.

As we pulled up to the elementary school and parked the car next to the playground affectionately called, "Big Toy" by the students who play on it each day, memories of watching Matt play on that big, yellow, plastic slide came rushing back.  Entering the lobby of the school, we made our way to the "Cafetorinasium", the ever-popular multi-purpose room that is part cafeteria, part auditorium and part gymnasium depending on what activities are scheduled into it on a given day.  

Before we waited on line with the other voters, we looked at the artwork decorating the walls...mementos from past students...a drawing here, a collage there.  Matt scoured the back wall for the picture he had drawn all those years ago. There it was, a stick figure drawing done with a #2 pencil on a piece of orange construction paper. Next, we found the group picture that every 5th grade class takes on 'Big Toy' before they graduate from elementary school and head off to middle school.  There Matt was in his puffy blue coat, red visor and little boy smile, standing on the big, rubber tire, feeling so 'grown up' as the 'ruler of the school'. Funny how excited my 18 year old son was to see that this stuff was still there...on the walls for everyone to see.

Finally it was our turn at the front of the line and my husband and I watched as Matthew showed his identification, the voting staffer looked up his yellow card in the 'voting book' and handed him his pink card.  We watched as he walked into the booth and listened to the 'swoosh' of the curtain as he pulled the lever to close it.  Seeing his size 12 sneakers peeking out the bottom as he voted, I was overcome with memories of times gone by...times when he'd beg to come into the booth with me as I voted..."Mommy, can I push the buttons?  Please?"And now, here he was, standing tall and proud and making his vote count for the very first time.  Overwhelming.

When it was my turn to vote, Jessica, my 9 year old daughter said, "Mommy, can I come in with you?  Please?  I can push the buttons!"  "Sure kiddo, come on in!" I said, now knowing that in a heartbeat it would be her own grown-up shoes peeking out the bottom of the voting booth.

After we all voted, it was time to head into the "Learning Fair"...the oddly-lit gymnasium that had been filled from top to bottom with artwork from all the elementary school kids in every grade.  Among dioramas, paintings, science projects, paper-mache dinosaurs and oodles of poetry, we found loads of Jessie's works to 'oooh' and 'ahhh' over.  Matt played the part of proud big brother very well...letting Jessie lead him around the room with excitement...eager to show him all of her stuff.

As we started to head back out of the gym, Matt turned to me and with a straight face asked,"Was the gym always this small?"

Funny how the silliest things can make me cry these days...jnealon@nyit.edu