Pooling our resources

As you may (or may not) recall, back in February, I wrote a post entitled, “Reason #4734 For Making Aliyah”.

Rather than recapping the post, I’ll simply say that it deals with American tuition costs, aliyah, and carpools.

Yet, as it turns out, I may have misrepresented some of the facts.

First, US tuition costs are apparently way more than I thought. (Maybe some of my American readers can explain how an average family can possibly cope with those truly mind-boggling numbers…)

But it was with respect to the carpool aspect of my original post that I was really being disingenuous.

You see, I bluntly asserted:

“Two words - NO. CARPOOLS. Need I say more?”

After all, writing – as I was – in the depths of the winter, I was able to delude myself that this statement was 100% accurate.

Now, admittedly, a number of commenters observed that where they live, carpools actually ARE a necessity.

However, we’re fortunate to have excellent schools and afternoon programs right here in our neighborhood, and the kids can easily get around by foot or by bike.

Thus, for much of the year, I’m able to pretend that carpools are the exclusive domain of parents in the Diaspora.

But then comes summer vacation.

And summer vacation means swimming lessons.

And since one thing our immediate neighborhood doesn’t have is a swimming pool, swimming lessons mean carpools.

But don’t worry.

Because as soon as this year’s lessons are over, I plan on once again maintaining a blissful state of denial.

That is, until next summer…