This month, you started big kid school: Kindergarten! Your dad was excited to get to do homework with you, which would probably be news to most of the teachers who used to assign him homework when he was in school. I was excited to see the Scholastic Books order form, which was one of my favorite parts of school as a kid. In fact, I think I scared Grandma with how excited I got. But it's books! Good books! Cheap! How can you not love that?!
I took the morning off on your first day, so that I could meet your teacher and make sure you were settled. But since you had those two weeks of Jumpstart Kindergarten, you knew right where your classroom was, and some of the kids already. So as soon as we got your backpack hung up and your snack in the bin, you were off to see what the other kids were doing. I barely got a hug and a kiss, but I guess that's better than having you cry all over me for ten minutes. Once again, my fear of your reaction was far worse than your reaction. Someday I'm sure I'll stop worrying so much. I'll be in a coma, but I won't be worrying about anything.
Dad and I both made it to Back to School Night. Your teacher demonstrated her smart board, which was pretty cool. She talked about the expectations that she has for her students, and they seemed high, which I liked. She talked about the types of homework she'll be sending home and how we can help you develop the skills that she'll be measuring. She talked about the report card and how it would look very different than the report cards that we got as children. She was funny and seems smart and engaged.
You seem to be liking school. You have gotten to know some of the other children. One of them is a rather rowdy boy, who has already become the boy to avoid if you don't want to get into trouble. But part of school is learning those skills, and better sooner than later. You've already started demonstrating new knowledge and skills. Your writing is getting better, you and Dad have been working on memorizing sight words, and you taught us how to sing the days of the week to tune of, "Oh My Darling, Clementine."
We did have this conversation on a Sunday night:
Me: It's Monday tomorrow. Don't forget to wear your school shirt.
You: I don't want to wear that shirt.
Me: You're supposed to wear you school shirt on Mondays, for assembly. Or another purple shirt.
You: Other people don't wear purple shirts, and I decided I want to be like them.
I guess paying $10 to find out that you're a non-conformist isn't that big of a deal.
The first weekend of the month, we went to a horse show up in Palos Verdes. It was a fundraiser for a Children's Hospital. They had lots of games and food, but also a little petting zoo and pony rides. You had fun playing the games with Dad, and you thought the animals in the petting zoo were funny. You decided not to do the pony rides, and you thought watching the big horses do their jumping rounds wasn't very exciting. Probably if there had been jousting, you would have been interested.
You started gymnastics lessons again, on the weekends, and you started soccer lessons after school on Tuesdays. It's good to get you moving around. I'm looking forward to being able to walk to a park after dinner and on the weekends. Especially in a neighborhood with sidewalks on the whole block.
We got the keys to the new house, right at the end of the month, and started taking boxes over. I am looking forward to having all of our stuff back, and being able to work on projects again. There is a lot of painting to do, and a lot of organizing, but I can't wait to get my favorite artwork back up on the walls. And then we will start a shrine to the patron saint of Not Moving Again For Many Years.
Love,
Mom
First day of Kindergarten:
With the goats in the petting zoo at the horse show:
At play:
Morning story time with Grandpa:
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