"Kindermom": thoughts on the first week of Kindergarten

Well, tomorrow is Friday and we've almost survived our first week of Kindergarten. 

In clothes they picked out themselves and after spilling yogurt on them, cleaning it and sighing deeply...we prayed together in the kitchen and then all got in the car and promptly,hurridly merged into the longest traffic line in history. We were going to be late on the first day. Well, here coins the term "Kindermom". The newbie, the novice-the I don't have a clue what I'm doing and I'm freaking out on the inside, mom. We walked him to class and because we were late, his teacher was already sitting on the carpet by the rocking chair-where Jax couldn't see her from just walking in. This was the only point during the whole experience that he got nervous. He looked up at me and anxiously asked, "Where's Mrs. Loomis?" After I pointed to her and reassured him that she was there, he hung up his backpack and hugged us, saying goodbye. 

And that was it. Bandaid ripped off. Not tears, no clinging, no worrying, no prolonging. 

I gripped Kyle's arm as we walked down the hall and joked, "Hold me Daddy." But the meltdown, the ugly cry, the panic filled lingering outside the classroom all day...didn't happen. I gulped once and prayed the rest of the day, wondering what he was doing and if he was having any fun. 

I have one more day to walk him to his class. Next week I will reluctantly experience the real "drop off". The- pull up to the door and let him out and hope he gets to class okay (and on time)- thing. 

But nevertheless, I'm grateful that his school let us walk them to class for the first week. Next week, I might eat lunch with him everyday-don't judge. 

And everyday as a Kindermom, I show up for the car rider line 30 minutes early and by the time we've picked up lil miss as well ...I've literally been sitting in the car for an hour. Oh, dear,sweet,naive Kindermom, who didn't even bring a book to read or anything...not even a sweet tea-bless my heart.

And by day four, he'd already gotten a "2" on his take home calendar which means he wasn't following directions and listening. At our house, when we get in trouble at school we also get in trouble at home. So we had our first time with that, I sat with him as he wrote an "I'm sorry" note to his teacher. And as a Kindermom, my hope is to always care more about character than I do about grades and act scores. 

I probably won't be good at PTA, I might always be skeptical of common core, I might forget to send a drink with his lunch once a week or I'll probably ask too many questions when he climbs in the car when all he wants is a snack-but I adore my Kindergartener who loves school already and I know I have as much to learn as he does.

...the ramblings of a Kindermom.