Kindergarten

[spotty_dog]

O starts 1st grade this year. I'm mostly worried with managing homework. Ugh.

Eff homework. I'm a homework rebel and I actively encourage my kids not to do it, or I sub in stuff I like better and send that back in lieu of the teacher's packet. Heh. Unfortunately I've got rule-following kids and this sometimes stresses them out.

[HouseofWool]

These are the times I love having the same teacher 2 years in a row. This one already knows that I won't sign reading logs and don't want the bags of books they send home weekly. DD is reading at least a year above grade level, so I simply don't care.

[Michele]

My baby starts Kindergarten next week. Craziness! I'm not that old.

[MrsK]

K1 didn't get the teacher he wants. Not that there is any rational basis for him wanting *that* teacher but I kinda wish he got the teacher he wanted just to ease his (and my) anxiety. Also, the teacher he wanted happened to be the one who sat in on his IEP meeting so I kinda feel like we have a rapport. 21 kids in the class and I don't know any of them. Just found out that the family across the street decided to send their kids to Catholic school this year. Their son is a bad influence on my boys but still, it was the one person I knew. We have a parents' meeting this afternoon (drop off procedures and all that) and then meet-the-teacher. K1 is so anxious; he's had an awful week and even soiled his pants yesterday. I was okay until just a few minutes ago, really. But now....

[MrsK]

We did meet-the-teacher today. The teacher is fine; a little distant but apparently capable. The school is intimidating but, ultimately, I think a very good school. He was... not fine. I'm genuinely worried about his success in kindergarten. He was completely overstimulated and could not control himself in the hallways, classroom, nurse's office, etc. He was absolutely manic, literally climbing on countertops, rolling on the floor, and shouting, unable to handle his excitement or focus on anything. Even eating a snow cone in the school courtyard, his fine motor deficits were painfully obvious. During periods when he is doing well, when he's explaining evolution and telling me how the human body is made up of cells and bacteria and he's high functioning among his peers (whom he met in special ed or OT), I feel like I've imagined his delays and that the OT, IEP, and so forth are overkill. But today was one of those days where I feel like we missed the mark and he actually has ASD.

Kindergarten starts tomorrow.

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

Hugs E, that's really hard. I think you could request a teacher switch but probably best to try it out before going there (under the thought process of saving your battles).

He's very bright. I bet he does fine once he calms down after the first few weeks. Can you volunteer in his classroom to keep an eye on things?

[MrsK]

I volunteered for a bunch of stuff. I probably bit off more than I can chew but K1 begged me to come to all of the class parties. The principal pretty much said that we should stay away until after Labor Day so the kids can settle in.

I don't know if the teacher is a problem. It's just that when you're kid has an IEP and he wets his pants daily , you don't want to hear "all the kids do that" as if you are just another parent who thinks their kid is a special little snowflake.

[MrsK]

So, he just got home and told me that they read The Kissing Hand and then had a scavenger hunt for the raccoon but never found him. He ate strawberries, apple sauce, and two cartons of orange juice for lunch (having eaten neither the school entree nor the one I packed in his "back up" lunch - we're going to have to work on this). He had PE but doesn't remember the teacher's name. He fell on the playground, skinned both knees and his wrist, cried, and hid under the slide for the remainder of recess with some curly-haired kid who was collecting roly poly bugs but that was NOT the worst part of his day -- he doesn't remember what the worst part of the day was. Then there was some sort of performance by the teachers where his teacher was Red Riding Hood or Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz or something like that but he didn't follow it. The teacher sent home a first day class picture. He's standing at the end of his row, looking manic, and she has her hand on him. Gosh, I hope he wasn't crazy today. Bonus point for coming home in the pants that I sent him in. I guess that's a pretty typical first day, right?

[Sheherezade]

I'm sure it's going to be fine. If it's not, you won't be able to tell for sure for a week or two. Sounds pretty typical to me. FWIW, my high school daughter met her current best friend for the first time hiding away from the groups at recess in the snow mounds They neither lived near to each other not had classes together, but very similar temperaments.

Deep breaths! He is a strong kid, very capable. He's just anxious. He will settle as time moves forward.


Angie

[Ladybug]

What a well-adjusted, confident kid. He's so excited. It sounds like he's off to a great year. K is so much fun. My kids always loved the chicken incubation projects they do at the end of K year.

We don't start school until...wait for it...September 10th. 11th for K. Everyone is starting to act like velociraptors in this warm, cozy home. August always feels like the ultimate Darwinian experiment for me. My youngest little guy starts K on 9/11. He'll be getting onto the same bus with his three older sisters so it feels less like he's going off into the world than just joining the ranks of his sibs. In a moment of completely honesty I'm kinda over the constant needs of young kids home all day. When I read posts like that I feel guilty, like something is missing in me, but I'm the type that has always been looking forward to the next stage. Hey, it got me through medical training. Honestly, each stage has been better than the last (disclaimer: no teenagers yet). I enjoyed elementary age so much. It's all exploration and corny jokes.

[Auspicious]

Late to this (we just got back from vacation) but count me in the Cry Club--my youngest starts kindergarten this week. We have meet-the-teacher tonight (and still no teacher assignments yet!) and start the school year with a full day on Wednesday. Kindergarten is definitely part and parcel of the elementary school here, with the same schedule and uniforms and the whole nine (but more play and movement time built into the day).

I definitely have a lot of feelings about having no more littles at home. There have been some bad times along the way, but overall it's been my best gig and I don't really want to give it up. All along I've felt that parenting has gone too fast, though, and kind of felt yanked along from one stage to the next against my will. Really it pisses me off a little in addition to being sad. I remember really missing Cora when she started K. And I remember the first day at home without her, starting to make lunch and taking two plates out of the cupboard instead of three, and it just hitting me.

And now I'm going to be down to one plate!

I am happy *for Hazel*, though, and think she's going to like kindergarten. She's even more ready than her big sister was, and big sister had a great kindergarten year.

For me, I still work part-time from home, and I made up a sample schedule of things I plan to do in the rest of my child-free hours, and it filled up IMMEDIATELY. So we'll see if that goes as I'm expecting--I'm not currently worried about being bored, that's for sure. I'm going from about 11 child-free hours per week to about 32.5.

Good luck kindergarten parents!

[Auspicious]

In a moment of completely honesty I'm kinda over the constant needs of young kids home all day. When I read posts like that I feel guilty, like something is missing in me, but I'm the type that has always been looking forward to the next stage. Hey, it got me through medical training. Honestly, each stage has been better than the last (disclaimer: no teenagers yet). I enjoyed elementary age so much. It's all exploration and corny jokes.

Thought of you when I read this: http://houston.citymomsblog.com/why-...re-growing-up/

[MrsK]

Lambie started mom's morning out today. It's only 2 hours but I miss her so much. I'm counting the minutes until I get her back.

[Ladybug]

THanks, [MENTION=821]Auspicious[/MENTION]

That makes me feel better about myself.

[Sheherezade]

Sending my 19 year old back to college for his second year on Friday. Since the plan is for him to get an internship next summer, this felt like the last summer with him in the house. Time is precious, and feeling like it is dripping away has me a little bit nuts this week.

That said, I've seen friends entering the next stage - parenting young adults, with weddings to plan and new apartments to help them furnish from the things in your basement. It doesn't look so bad.


Angie