First Day of School
It’s here, it happened. I know it’s not 1st grade. It’s not the true beginning of school with homework and official grades and such, but, it’s school. It’s on the big campus. It’s with all of the other grades. Lunch is in the big gym. Assembly is with the entire school.
I feel like we just lowered the bar over our heads and the floor fell away beneath us. We are on. On the ride and there is no getting off until it’s over. I didn’t really sleep last night. I did, sort of. I tossed and turned and was thankful that Mason was in the next room sleeping soundly. He didn’t seem to be as affected as Matt and I were. Thank goodness!
This morning came too early. I was nudged and whispered to at 6:45 by Mason. Wondering if it was time to get up. I told him where his clothes were and to get dressed and off he went downstairs to wake up Grandma. (She’s visiting this week.) I rolled out of bed, got myself ready and went downstairs to fix his “nutritional breakfast” that the school handbook said I should prepare and to pack his lunch.
He ate a great breakfast and even had a little time to play before we hustled him out the door for his “first day of school portrait”. The best part of this morning, after seeing his smile of excitement was that we were walking to school. WALKING! It’s so cool to live just down the street. No driving, no school bus, just backpack in hand and a nice walk down the block and across the street. It’s amazing!
He has a friend who lives down the street who’s starting 1st grade this year. They were walking to school too so we all walked together. Mason had a chance to let out some of that energy by running around with Anderson before getting to the classroom. It was great. We took a couple of photo’s of the boys just being boys and having fun.
There were children and parents and even puppies milling around. People with cameras taking pictures and videos. We walked to his classroom and hung his space/robot backpack up on a hook. Took out his lunch and went inside. We placed his lunch and sweatshirt in his cubbie with his name marking his space. (Yesterday was the meet and greet and when I walked into his classroom and saw that cubbie with his name in it, I almost burst into tears. It was all I could do to hold them back and not look like the blubbering idiot I felt like on the inside.)
Mason then looked up at me and for the first time looked a little scared and overwhelmed. He saw the other children all seeming to know what they were doing and he felt a little lost. I could see it. He asked me, “What am I supposed to do first?” I looked at him and told him that he should ask his teacher which he did. She told him there were four tables to do activities at including coloring or legos and he immediately turned around and was gone. He was gone so fast that Matt looked at me and realized he hadn’t even said goodbye. He went in the room kissed him goodbye and that was that. Just like one of the fish we’ve bought for our tank. He stayed in his own bag in his own water for a few minutes. Checked out the scene and then just jumped right in.
Matt and I walked home hand in hand. I think the two of us are having the hardest time. We weren’t quite ready for this but maybe you never are. Maybe you’re never quite ready for that next transition. I mean, I can’t even imagine how it will be as the years go by and I can only imagine that I won’t be ready for school dances, girlfriends, driving. My heart goes into minor palpitations just thinking about it.
So, I’ll just take a few deep breaths and remind myself that it’s only Kindergarten. It’s the first step of many and we have a long way to go.
