The first day of school brought some changes for our family as our kids transitioned into a new school. In full transparency, even though I've known in my heart for a long time that this was the right thing to do, it didn't make it any easier as I walked them across the parking lot to their school. Wait, did I mention that I quite literally share a parking lot with them now, so that was reason number one for the move.
I knew Ellie would be fine. She's so young and really hasn't made the kind of friendships that Eli has. Plus, she's a momma's girl so being much closer would make her feel more secure. The "easy" factor was appealing too. I mean, I can eat lunch with her, participate in class parties, and I cut more than an hour out of my daily commute.
When you factor in their before and after school care along with their commute and homework time, they are picking up more than TWO HOURS a day. That's huge, especially since they both have extra curricular activities.
Did I mention that I won't have childcare costs? To clarify, I DO NOT mind paying the wonderful people who love on my babies so well at daycare, camp and the after school programs but let's be honest...it's like getting a small raise.
All perks aside, I worried so much about this kid. He loved his old school and he truly values the friendships he's made there. From daycare through fourth grade, he's really been secure in comfort that living in a small community brings. Daycare, school, church, and sports in a small town means we pretty much always hang out with the same friends. I wasn't sure how he would do being uprooted, especially as he enters FIFTH grade.
Kids always have a way of surprising us, and my kids kinda flopped roles leading into the big day. Eli realized he knew a few buddies from summer camp, so he was fine after learning that little tidbit of information at Open House. Ellie had been the most excited but got really nervous and shed a few tears at bedtime.
Thankfully, they are familiar with a few other kids who hang around my work. That broke the ice on the first day as we all met and let them hang out before dropping them off. We walked Ellie to class first and she hugged her teacher before jumping right into the swing of things.
Eli and I dropper her off before walking to the other side of the school where is classroom us located. He was so brave, but I could tell he was nervous. I was sad to see that his buddies were there yet when I dropped him off. To make it more conflicting, he's at the age where I'm never sure if he wants a hug goodbye....so awkward.
The first day is BUSY for me. Like, really busy. I went to 28 schools in 6 hours, so I didn't have a lot of time to dwell on the big change. Whenever the kids crossed my mind, I said a little prayer for their nerves and before I knew it, it was time to pick them up. It was sweet music to my ears hearing about their amazing day!
Our Back To School tradition is dinner at a Mexican restaurant before church, so we headed to eat and I got to hear all about their amazing new journey. It was an emotional first step, but I know it's the right thing for our family.
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