Danger Rooks Overtake Queen Mom

Our school has a Chess Club.

I've never played chess in my life, and unless its a round of Wizarding Chess a la Harry Potter, I don't think I'll ever want to play chess.

But Alex has been interested in chess for years, and he received his own chess board four years ago. He's wanted to join the Chess Club since he started kindergarten. Well, I'm sorry, but there is just something wrong about the Chess Club meeting at 6:45 a.m. on Fridays. So we didn't join.

He asked again, in first grade to join. But it was still meeting at 6:45 a.m. So we didn't join.

He asked again, in second grade, to join. But it was still meeting at 6:45 a.m. So we didn't join.

This year, we caved to his requests, and signed both him and Ryan up for Chess Club. Ryan wasn't so sure about joining, but much like swim team, if we're killing ourselves to get them somewhere in the dark, and they both can theoretically go, then by God, they are both going.

Carl has been kind enough to take them thus far, but the kids started asking why I wasn't going to Chess Club. (As if it wasn't obvious - its hard enough when I have to get up early enough to go inside the school for something on any given morning, but that's at least at 7:45 a.m. But a full HOUR earlier? In the middle of the night? I don't think so.)

So I caved, and went with them. And I took a few pictures, since who knows if I'll make it back for another Chess Club meeting.

So what is Chess Club? Well, its hundreds of kids playing chess, in the dark of night, before school starts on Fridays. These pictures don't do justice to how many kids are there. I stood around talking with other parents before I was put to work by some of the parents who run the show. Yet another reason why I don't think I'll go back to Chess Club. Get up at 5:30, so I can shower, dress, put makeup on, get the kids up, dressed, fed, and hop in the car so I can hand out Chess Bucks? Just shoot me. Talk about feeling like a pawn in the kids' chess board of life.