First Day of School 2016-17

Can you even believe it? A third grader and a kindergartner! What cool kiddos I have! ♥

To be honest though, Lucy, who is not a morning person anyway, struggled a bit this morning. First, being woken at 7:15 instead of getting to sleep past 8 was rough for her. But then also, she had had an accident (two actually) last night and that threw off the "chi" of the morning... She was a little weepy and argumentative throughout breakfast, and though she mostly cooperated with the things that needing doing (hair, clothes, finishing food, etc.) she definitely still had her moody moments. Like this photo:

 

She's let me take a few photos (like the above one, with her cute cute fake smile), but by this last shot she was OVER IT. 

I think this is all pretty overwhelming to her. And I don't blame her in the least. 

When Noah started kindergarten, it was like, HIS DESTINY. He had been born ready for "real" school. He was an "old" kindergartner anyway, almost 6 years old, and neither he nor I could wait to get him in there to begin. He was just ready. Made for it. 

Lucy is a different creature altogether. A year ago, if you'd asked me if she was ready for kindergarten, I'd have had a panic attack on the spot. She was so YOUNG still.... so emotional and reactionary and quiet around peers. But as her year of preschool went on, she grew so very much. I was in awe of her progress and it was a joy to see her blossom. By her 5th birthday, back in April, I had NO doubt she was ready for the next step. She'd do FINE in kindergarten. 

But just because she's ready, and will do fine, doesn't necessarily mean she's made for it. That this is her ideal. To be honest, I don't think I'm sure that full-day kindergarten, or a long chunk of traditional school, is her ideal environment. She's not made like Noah. She's .... I can't pin down a word. But she's not inspired by rules and structure and progress the way Noah is. She is in her own world, and could probably happily spend years just doing her own thing... whether it be arty things, dress-up things, or running around a yard or field or park. I don't know that she'll blossom under the structure of formal school. But then again, I don't know that she was thriving particularly under the unschooling of our days before this. Not that she was regressing... but maybe without any challenges or new, hard things, she was just going to kind of BE, and stay. And maybe now she'll have some new experiences and opportunities, socially and academically, that will do her a world of good. 

I don't know. I'm not seeking an alternative, or anything. I'm just..... kind of pondering why it was harder for me to see her go into her kindergarten classroom than it was for me to send Noah to his. I hope she can adjust to the newness. The longer days. The harder demands. The social minefield (yes even in kindergarten!)... 

I hope she continues to blossom and thrive in her own special, Lucy-way, even as she begins this track of life. 

Anyway. As for us here at home, Quinn and I get a couple of weeks together, just the two of us, before baby arrives, and I am pleased with this.  He'll start his 2-day-a-week preschool tomorrow, and that will be good for him... and good for baby and I once she arrives. 

So we begin a new school year. I wish so much for my kids. I wish for them excitement and that spark that comes from new knowledge. I wish for them an easy path to a good friend or two who they can count on at lunch and recess and beyond. I wish for them to work on perseverance, even when the task in front of them is hard and frustrating. I wish for them to love the smell of crayons and the chance to make art. I wish for them to lean on each other when they're together. I wish for them to feel pride in their accomplishments. I wish for them to learn to see others around them with love, and to be inclusive and thoughtful. I wish for them to have fabulous connections to their fabulous teachers. I wish for them to thrive and grow and be alight with the joy of learning. 

God speed, my little ones. 

♥