Friday, August 26, 2011

An Ode to Days of Old {and by that I mean young}

Sweet days of youth, of carefree abandon
We are quite weepy from your departure
A vice-like grip is struggling to weaken
You are just so ... well, FUN
And smothered in love
We miss you, miss you, miss you
(tear, tear, tear)

Day 1
 Day 2
 Day 3
This has been h.a.r.d! Many of you lovely mammas have been here, done it. Was it hard for you and yours too? We're on day 3 of P's first week in 1st grade. Day 1 was decent (how could it not be) but day 2 brought home tears .... lots of gut wrenching tears.

"It's so boring ... they always say "no" ... I can't play with any toys ... I wasn't allowed to draw a picture in my book ... I couldn't get my dessert ... they make me write for a long time ... I already know how to read and do math" (followed by an attempt to prove it with math and spelling games for the next 30 minutes)

And he was so stinking serious about it, trying really hard to convince me that he didn't actually need to go to school (and I understand how things can be exaggerated in the heat of a melt down). Funny thing is, it all started with that dessert. He eats slowly and for 2 days in a row, had missed his opportunity to get dessert before the bell rang, I suspect. We have a real good mix of smothered giggles and worried faces in response to his bellowing, but when you get right down to it, I can't stand seeing him so overwhelmed by it all.

He doesn't want to grow up anymore (no thank you); he wants things to stay as they were (and I don't blame him). What a difficult change this must be for our first graders, such a jump from child to big boy. And for the first time he has to really figure things out for himself, without any help from his mom. It's hard for me to let go of that, to send him off to that responsibility of figuring it out without my help. Independence and responsibility is hard earned (but eventually, well worth these growing pains).

I know it will get easier for him and that he'll become comfortable and confident with his schooling and education. But just don't tell him this is the first year of at least 12 more! Poor little man.

{Thank you to all who send me wonderful comments and emails after some of these more "distressed" posts. They are so appreciated :)}

3 comments:

  1. Hopefully by winter he will be singing a different tune and want to go back each day to see his new friends etc. Or like Matt said, I feel sorry for our kids that they will have to go to school, yikes! A lot of help he will be on Paul's first day. I'll be praying of your little Parker James:) As we have learned from our recent circumstances within difficult times lies opportunities...

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  2. Listen to his heart Kirsty. Each of our children are so wonderfully different. Maybe traditional learning isn't right for all of them. Would homeschooling fit into your family life? Homeschooling isn't even a shadow of what it was years ago. There are wonderful support groups out there that are large enough now to have their own sports teams. Some groups have chess and drama clubs. There is NEWHL in the GB area that even has a learning co-op once a week which is like a day of school with the entire group participating in classroom style learning. They learn sign language, history, drama, video game design, art, science, dance, and just about any other thing you can think of. That way, Parker could learn in his own, unique style. If he felt like drawing, he could draw. If he felt like standing up or playing with a toy, he could let it take him wherever his imagination would dream to go. Homeschooling isn't for everyone, but it might be worth a fleeting thought if you feel his spirit isn't meant to be funneled into only one style of learning. Some kids just are just meant to break out of the mold. You know him better than anyone.

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  3. Thanks for your encouraging words girls. :) I appreciate it. And Tami, for all of your input. Homeschooling has never yet been an option for us, but perhaps one day it will be. You never know. :)

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Thanks for reading!
xx Kirsty

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