Today was the day I've been waiting on all summer long! Today was the first day of school. It was bitter sweet for me. Shelby started 2nd grade this morning. We really like her teacher. She is a young teacher, full of energy and new ideas. She is very well organized (which I LOVE!). Shelby said, "She seems really nice. Not the kind of nice that is just nice when the parents are there, but really nice...even to the kids."
We were lucky enough for Tyler to get a teacher that we know and she's a great person so we were all very excited about that. She is also young and enthusiastic and have high hopes that she will be a great fit for Tyler.
This morning, Shelby woke up with excitement and ready to see her old friends and very thrilled that she is in the same class room as her cousin (my sister's daughter) Katie! She was up and dressed in no time flat. We had her back pack full of all of that first day of school paperwork that you have to fill out. She had a drink and snack and was ready for the day!
Tyler, on the other hand was not as enthusiastic about starting Kindergarten. He got up, but not as thrilled as his 2nd grade sister. He knows no one in his class. Sure, there are kids in the school that he knows from daycare but as far as in his classroom, there is not one familiar face.
Since there are two different driveways, naturally my children have to wait in separate places. They line up according to which side of the building their classroom is located. We parked in the big driveway where Tyler will wait on the sidewalk out front for the morning bell. We walked Shelby through the school to her driveway. Since she's an old pro at this, we left her in good hands waiting with my sister and her daughter since they are in the same class. She was very excited and not a bit nervous!
Tyler was nervous and you could see the fear in his eyes. The poor guy was terrified. As he waited in line and all of the parents surrounded their children snapping photos, Tyler stood in the sea of Kindergartners with a lost puppy dog look on his face. As the line began to move and the kids headed to the classroom, Tyler looked back at us one last time and then headed that way. He wasn't crying and seemed okay, so I turned and walked away. I was teary eyed and afraid that if he saw me crying that he would get upset. Brien asked if we were going to go in and I told him I didn't think it was a good idea.
So, we headed out and I was of course an emotional wreck. Yes, all summer I have prayed to get those kids in school and find some peace and sanity, but as I left my baby boy in Kindergarten all I really wanted to do was go in and grab him up and hug him, take him home and tell him that he can't grow anymore!!!
As I got ready to leave, my sister called me to tell me that she got Katie and Shelby in class okay and that they were doing fine when she left. She poked her head in to check on Tyler on her way out and that he was crying. She assumed that we knew he was upset and that I was upset as well. I had no idea he was upset. When we left, he was fine. Of course the mothering instinct kicked in and I wanted to go comfort him. I got out and started walking in and half way through I stopped and thought to myself that it could be a bad idea to go in there...
What's a mom to do?! Do I go in and risk the possibility of him getting REALLY upset when he sees me and wants to go with him or do I just leave and let him cry thinking his mother has abandoned him? Well, of course I couldn't just leave. When I approached the classroom I felt my knees get weak and I just told myself to be strong and not get upset with him! When I saw his little face and how upset it was, it broke my heart! He was red faced and gasping for air because he was crying so hard he could not catch his breath. I went in the class and walked over to him and immediately he latched on to me and held on for dear life pleading with me to take him home and let him miss "just one day of school". I tried reasoning with him that he had to stay at school. It's not like daycare where you can go when you want. He was so upset by this time that there was no reasoning with him.
His teacher was so gracious, she went on about classroom procedures telling the children to empty their back packs and lay the papers on their desk and such. Tyler was the only child crying so she was trying not to make a spectacle out of him. In the same token, there was a man in there with a camera. I'm assuming that he's from the local paper. He kept snapping photos of me comforting Tyler and I wanted to go shove that camera where the sun don't shine. But, I kept my class about me. Can't you see the headlines? CrAzY Working Mom sends photographer with his most prized possession lodged in...well you get the picture! Can't have that on my resume. So, anyhow he pleaded with me for a little bit but obviously we were getting nowhere fast and he was only getting more upset.
He spotted his daddy waiting by the door and I assume that he realized that he was not going to melt my cold as ice heart into letting him leave, so he wanted to work on his dad. He asked me if his daddy could come give him a hug before we left. I told him if he would make me a promise that he would stop crying he could. He straightened his back, loosened his grip of me and wiped his eyes. I thought to myself that I might have gotten through to him and he was going to be okay.
WRONG! When his daddy got over there he started the same song and dance with him. Finally, we told him goodbye and just left him to cry. The poor little guy was so upset. Of course, I was right there with him once I got out of the classroom, hating to leave him so frazzled. Fortunately he has a great teacher, and she gave me her phone number and told me to text her after while and she'd report back.
I am happy to say that she texted me and told me that he was doing fine. Of course I knew he would, but it was the initial leaving him that was so hard knowing how scared he was!
I am anxious to find out how their day has gone. Mine has been okay. I've had lots of traffic in and out of the office, so not much peace and quiet as I had hoped for, but none the less I'm managing.
What kind of back to school horror stories do you have?! Do you have a "Tyler-like" story? Let me know in the comments! I'd love to hear them.
First Day of School
http://www.crazyworkingmom.com/2010/08/first-day-of-school.html
