Saturday, September 08, 2007

School Days



I'm sure all you parents out there are as convinced as I am that back-to-school time is far tougher on the parents than it is on the kids. The shopping, the schedule shifts, the stacks of papers coming from and going to school. It can be a bit much, but I'm happy to report we have all taken it in stride thus far.

The first few days have gone smooth as silk, at least for the kids. We lay clothes out the night before, in the hallway where they practically trip over them before they reach the stairs that lead downward to their toys and their breakfast bowls. Dressing and brushing BEFORE anything else was such a simple change, but one that has made everyone happier, most especially me.

I'm still adjusting to my new working hours. Instead of Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, I'm now working Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, with a day off in between each session to spend with our girl. My rhythm is a bit clunky -- phone calls that I used to make Monday now need to be made Friday in order to meet writing deadlines on Wednesday, etc. -- but I'm figuring it out.

The wee one clung a bit to my leg on her first day of preschool, but she eventually found something to do, as well as an old pal from her day care days. She likes what she calls the "field trips to the park" and the art time.

Our boy seems tickled to be back in class, particularly since he can now ride his bike, training wheel-free, to school. We got him a lock to secure his cycle, and he keeps a key in a special pocket in his backpack. This, to him, is a tremendously grown-up responsibility, and it's cool to watch how carefully he uses this new device.

When I asked him whether he thought first grade was going to be as fun as kindergarten, he said, "Yes. Even better!" Who could ask for anthing more? Certainly not me, but I got it anyway when eavesdropping on a phone conversation between him and his Grandma A. She asked him whether any of his friends were in his class, and he said, "They're almost all my friends. There are only three I'm still getting to know."

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home