I almost put a little somethin’ something’ in my coffee this morning.
By the time I took my first caffeinated sip, I had already been to my son’s new school, left him sitting all by himself in a big room and had an emotional breakdown while driving home.
I’m sure sending your 5-year-old off to kindergarten for the first time is traumatic for everybody.
But at least most of you get the chance to emotionally prepare a little.
We had every intention of sending our barely-5-year-old back to his preschool this year and then doing kindergarten next year.
But then, in the middle of last week, came the call.
Somehow he’d made it up the waiting list at The Kindezi School, even though we were so far down we never gave it another thought, and although they’d been in class for almost 2 weeks already, he had a place in their kindergarten class.
In less than 24 hours, we had to change our entire perception of what our year would be like.
But with such an innovative approach to teaching, incredibly small student-teacher ratios, and almost no chance of getting in next year, it just wasn’t something we could pass up.
Last Tuesday, Asher turned 5.
I was having enough problems dealing with that.
There’s something about that age.
1, 2, 3 and 4 I could accept without losing it.
5 is just so big…
Until you leave them alone in a big cafeteria surrounded by people they don’t know.
And you walk away with your heart in your throat.
And you glance back at that face in a sea of others.
And your little boy waves at you and smiles.
And it’s all you can do to walk away and leave him to what he’s not even worried about.
And then, if you’re me, it suddenly hits you as you drive away.
And even though you’re not much of a crier, you ball like you’re several years younger than your kindergartener, all the way home.
And contemplate having a little kahlua in your coffee because, as Asher says, you’re so “fressed out.”
But it’s a very special school run by very special people.
By 9:20am, I already had an email from the principal in my inbox telling me he’d peeked in on my boy and he was doing well.
And that helped with my “fress” levels a bit.
But I’m still holding my breath until 3pm.
What ya wanna bet I’m the first car in the pick-up line today?
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Sam starts preschool tomorrow (don’t get me wrong, because I love him more than anything) but I have to tell you that I don’t think I’ll be crying – I may be laughing hysterically and skipping away. He has been “fressing” me out so much in the last 2 weeks. I can’t wait to have some peace while I work without being interrupted every ten minutes to put the red Spiderman suit on and then the black Spiderman suit on. Not to mention that he has now been taking clean clothes out (several outfits a day) to put on over the costumes to conseal his identity. I and the washing machine can’t take it! Happy Days are here again – tomorrow 🙂
I’m probably gonna be just fine in a few days once I know that everything’s gonna be okay. It’s just such an unexpected and big transition. I’d say the skipping away will probably start by Friday. : )
My true skipping away will be tomorrow – the first full day of school! And on top of that, I’m subbing for after-school care (Amanda is my moss man) so Sam will stay till 5:30 when I’m done. He’s gonna be TIRED.
My girls, the twins, started Kindergarten on August 15. They we four. On Friday, the 24 of August, they turned five.
I worried about them being too young, even though in our district they squeak in before the Sept. 1 deadline.
At the classroom “open house” they proved that they are ready and, much to my heart’s disappointment, don’t need me a titch.
I see that this was not in the plan, but I bet it works out wonderfully. Good on ya, Asher.
Thanks! He’s actually doing so much better than I ever would’ve thought. I guess maybe, just maybe, we baby them a tad too much. ; )