Pre-K

Adam will go to pre-K today. Just a trial run, to get the feel of the place. It should be interesting. He's already told me he doesn't want to go. I guess he's forgotten how he's wanted to go to school for the past two years, when he watched Jason get on the bus in the morning.

It's hard, dropping off your child with people you don't know, in a place you don't know. Luckily, the daycare/preschool is one mile from here. When Jason went to pre-K, he attended a school that my niece and nephews had already attended. I had all sorts of information about it from my sister-in-law, so for some reason, it wasn't so hard. With Adam, it's a little different- we don't know any other families who have used this daycare. I hope he adjusts well. I want him to succeed.

I am amazed how quickly they have grown. Jason just turned 7. We made the agonizing decision to keep him back in first grade this year. The move really just caused him to shut down and stop learning. I feel that the school dropped the ball- no extra one-on-one time was give to him, nothing special to help him catch up. He jsut floated through the class, feeliing like a failure. That's what we've been trying to un-do all summer. I feel I missed the ball, not quite aware of how stalled out he was (even though there were multiple conferences and emails). Anyway, I can't imagine him struggling for the next 12 years, when an extra year in the early stages would do the job. It's weird to think of having to tutor your first grader, but that's what we've done all summer. It's been difficult.

I have to admit, I'll be glad for the break when both boys go to school. It's been a long time coming- quite solitude and "me" time. But it also signals the new chapter in our lives, the chapter with older children, school activities, sports, and all the rest of it. I hope I'm up for the challenge.