the first day of first grade

ready or not, here I come!


all smiles while waiting for the school bus--the tears came later


Jack rode his trike to the bus stop and waited with us

It was AWFUL! I literally had to drag Elizabeth across the street and over to the school bus, then had to push her onto the bus. The entire time, she was crying, “Please, no, Mommy! Please, no!” …Last Thursday, Elizabeth and I rode the school bus to school along with the new kindergarteners and their parents so that Elizabeth could get used to it before school officially started. After some initial trepidation, she loved it. We sat in the second seat from the front on the right, and she kept popping up and down in her seat in order to see over the back of the seat in front of us in order to see where we were going. Once at school, we explored the building a bit and then our friend, Donna, who is one of the third grade teachers, gave us a ride back to Miss Kelly's. All was good, it seemed. A couple of nights ago, though, just before bedtime, Elizabeth began to cry inconsolably. “Please don’t make me go to school! Please let me go to Miss Kelly’s” (her old daycare, where she and Jack went over the summer, and the daycare that Jack currently attends). I held her and told her that, yes, her new school was much bigger than Cathedral School but that she would soon know her way around and would quickly make new friends; that everyone else would be a bit scared on the first day; that she would have so much fun at school; that I was scared on my first day of work; that I didn’t know anyone’s name or my way around the courthouse when I first started but that it wasn't long before I knew everyone's name and knew my way around the building. She seemed to find some comfort in that. This morning, she had breakfast and got dressed with only a few “I don’t want to go to school today” comments, and we walked outside. I took several pictures of her in the driveway, and then she, Jack, and I walked (or pedaled, in Jack's case) to the bus stop where the other children and parents had gathered. When the bus came into view, I helped her put her back pack on. She did this very reluctantly, though. I told her to line up with the other children. She looked at me and began to cry but didn’t move. I took her by the hand and tried to lead her towards the bus. She began to pull back, so I pulled (dragged?) her by the hand across the street and to the bus. By this time, the other children had gotten on, and traffic was beginning to back up behind the bus. Jodie, the bus driver, tried to encourage her to get on, as did the aide seated behind her. I pushed Elizabeth up the steps, and the aide took her by the hand. By this time, she was crying in earnest and begging not to go. Like I said, it was awful. Jodie assured me that she would be just fine, and the doors closed. I walked back across the street to where the other parents stood, feeling like the worst Mommy EVER. It certainly didn't go like I'd imagined. And not one picture of her happily boarding the school bus. One of the other Moms reassured me, saying I’d done the right thing and that as the bus drove off, the drivers of the cars behind it gave me a thumbs-up and cheered as they passed by. I have to admit that as I was putting her on the bus the thought briefly crossed my mind that I could drive her to school, just this once, but I just as quickly realized that I could NOT set a precedent. I’m not sure, but I think it wasn’t the bus ride that scared her so much as it was what would happen when the bus got to school? I dropped Jack off at Miss Kelly’s and went to work. At 9:30 am, I called the school to see how she was doing. The school secretary said she would check and called back almost immediately to say that Mrs. Cory reported that Elizabeth was smiling and participating in class and that all was well! I was so relieved! I will meet her at the bus stop this afternoon, when I’m sure I’ll hear ALL about her day. To be continued...