Enter the School Age Years

Today we dropped Xander off at kindergarten. There were no tears. The teacher came out at 8:40 am and all the kids filed in without their parents. Xander waved happily and joined his new friends. I was surprisingly tear free too. It could be because I've been anticipating this date since we registered in April, since we went to the first school visit ... I worried about everything, from uniforms to after school care and strabismus... The day itself seemed fine.

Then at about lunch I started feeling anxious. How was Xander's day going? Was he fitting in? Was he meeting new friends? Did he like his teacher?

I left work early to pick-up Xander and get his glasses from the eye doctor (to treat the strabismus ...)

He said he had fun at school, but was so tired. He is a big napper, and today was his first nap free day. He lost his back pack, and only had his lunch bag. He didn't eat all of his lunch. He told me that he got a bloody nose after another boy hit him. He had dried blood on his white shirt ... it seemed like a very stressful day to me. But this is a right of passage, and for the first time I don't have the full report from his preschool teacher. I have limited information -- other than what my five-year old shares, and I just have to deal with it.

The school age years will offer us plenty of opportunities for new adventures. Budget cuts means that my little Xander will be off for a week in October, two weeks in December, one week in February and one week in April ... school ends on June 5. We are already starting to plan our 2011 trips ...

Today I started the process of letting go a little. I'm told that the first month of kindergarten is the hardest. He is a sweet, happy kid and he'll find his way. Trusting that strangers will be as kind to my child as he is to everyone he meets. But I can only escort him to the door.