Back-to-school night was on Thursday, 5:30-7:30pm. The school sent out "suggested" time slots for attendance based on last name. Our slot was 6:30-7:30. As an incoming kindergarten family, we decided that suggestion did not apply to us. We were there at 5:35 and all very excited! Very. The parking lots were full and cars lined every street around the school. We found a spot and filed in with the masses... But then Zach hesitated as he saw "the entertainment" that was standing outside the front doors. It was a man, dressed in a cowboy costume, standing on stilts! Zach doesn't like grown-ups in costumes, especially not ones on stilts! So, suddenly he was anxious, nervous and hesitant. The moment I saw this in him, I welled up with anxiety. I helped him past the "cowboy" and headed into the school lobby. I was now overcome with emotion. I managed to stifle the tears in the lobby (after all, no one else was crying!). Then it seemed that every first time kindergarten mom we passed in the halls kept replying to my cheerful hellos by saying they were sad or having a hard time. As we reached Zach's classroom, he was a little hesitant again. Which made me well with emotion a little more. Till I finally did CRY. And it was just back-to-school night.
We have kindergarten open house on Tuesday morning. This is when we will bring his school supplies, find his desk, and do whatever else we didn't do on Thursday night. All the upper grades will have started school on Monday, so it will be like a normal day (except that we're just visiting). Wednesday is Zach's first day of school.
Until Thursday night, I really thought I was going to be perfectly fine with school. After all, he was in afternoon pre-k last year, three days a week. This year will be 30 minutes a day more, five days a week. Not too much of a change... Except that he will have multiple classrooms, several different teachers, will use the library, and there's a whole new staff that I've only laid eyes on once! And... I won't be volunteering once a week or going into school every time he does. On the major up-side, I'm pretty sure there are school skating parties! I love roller skating.
Found this great prayer on one of my favorite blogs...
Here we are again, Lord. Their backpacks are loaded and their faces are scrubbed and their lunch accounts are full.
And I know you'll walk with them, Lord. You always do. But a mom still has to ask.
Will You walk with them? Will You whisper to them what they need to hear, when I'm not there to whisper it?
Will You please, oh please, cover their school with the protection only You can give, and will You keep harm far away?
Will You make their minds strong and ready to learn? Will You help them understand that hard work honors the One who created them?
Will You guide their teachers, giving them patience and wisdom and creativity and more patience? Will You bless them for their efforts?
Will You love all those children there, the ones whose lunch accounts aren't full, the ones who feel alone? Will You teach my children to be kind and unselfish and to love those who are different from them?
Will You point them back toward home just as soon as you can?
Lord, I give them to You today and everyday, trusting them to Your care.
Amen.
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