coyote21

LMC has been displaying some anxiety about the looming "FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL" coming up Monday.

She's going to the same school, with the same kids, riding the same bus with the same driver, and even has the same teacher for 4th as she had for 2nd, who she loves. Still has the same anxiety every year, I remember it, probably EVERY kid has it.....normal. Can't cure normal.

But I saw a cute commercial today where a mom was sending her little girl off to kinder and drew a little heart on the palm of her daughters hand, so if she felt scared she could look at it.

I just drew one on LMC's hand as a test, she liked it and we'll redo it Monday morn.

Just wanted to share.

As a side note, we live in a college town, and this week is the "influx of the freshmen". They're every where, looking all lost and scared. The local grocery is over run with the parents stocking up their kids before leaving them.

Man, the dad's of daughters are the most stricken......they stand in the check out line looking like zombies. I can hardly wait.


Thanks and God bless us all,
Coyote

suki44883

You sound like such a great dad. LMC is one lucky little girl.

Joslyn

My 5th grade boy had major anxiety this year, and I told him that I included a note just for him in his lunch box. He was so curious about what it said (it was just a simple note that I told him that I loved hiim), that he was distracted, popped out of the car, and the door opened to the school, the principal high fived him, and all went well. This compares much better to second grade, when he barfed in the school parking lot on the first day of school....sorry so gross, but my son and I laugh about it now...Keep doing what you're doing Coyote, you sound like a wonderful parent....

Still Waters

If I tried to put a heart on my 9th graders hand she'd be so embarrassed I'd never get her out of the bathroom. LOL.

But I totally remember all that Coyote.

I just ask mine, what do you need to do to get you as ready as you think you need to be? Then I help where I feel it's appropriate.

Shellcrusher

Yep.
Our little guy goes to school/daycare near my office so he's rides with me morning and night all week. He went back to school on Monday. He's only 14 months old and starting the toddlers program. It's been rough on him and he's horse due to crying so much but he's getting better.

I instructed the teacher to write down any improvements to the transition that she witnessed for the day. This helps the AW know that her little guy is okay. Otherwise she'll get fired up and breaks and well...we all know what happens next.

ItsmeAlice

I remember the day my folks dropped me off at college. My Dad looked like he had the trots. Poor Dad.

I love the idea of the heart coyote! My mom made my lunch right up until I graduated high school. PB&J an apple and a drink, every day. I grumbled at most anything else. Some of my worst days were made better by the little notes she wrote on the napkin she tucked in there. Sometimes just a smiley face was all it took.

Good luck to LMC on Monday!!

Alice

coyote21

THAT'S the look! Sphincter overload.

LMC was looking at the breakfast/lunch menu and planed her menu for the first 4 weeks. Very preoccupied with eating/food. Luckily she's tall and skinny/musclely like her dad.

Some how we got put on the "free lunch" list last year, even though I called the lady in charge and made plenty money. Hope we're still on it this year, that'll be helpful!

Thanks and God bless us all,
Coyote

coyote21

Man, poor guy. It reminds me just how tough it is to be a kid.

Thank God for Alanon, this is good practice in letting go of stuff I have "zero" control over. Plus, pretty sure LMC has her own HP taking pretty good care of her.

Last year was her first year on the bus, I promised I'd follow her all the way to school. One hour later I finally got to work after a very thorough tour of the hood.

After school she told me the stop after ours they picked up her bff........pretty sure there's a lesson here somewhere.

Thanks and God bless us all,
Coyote

coyote21

Well she's off on the first day of her 4th grade adventure. She managed to fall asleep pretty early last night, unlike her dad who finally fell asleep at 3am. Alarm went off at 5.

She was in good spirits, and didn't appear to be too stressed.

Last night, although we hadn't mentioned it again in the last few days, she reminded me to leave the permanent sharpie out so we wouldn't forget her "heart".

I asked her what she was gonna say if someone asked her about it, she said she would tell them she "Had no idea how that got there"! Ha!


Thanks and God bless us all,
Coyote

posiesperson

Aw, thanks for this sweet story, Coyote, and hang in there today. Remember that everything comes in it's own perfect time...you'll be appropriately ready for her to go to college when you/she get there. Today is all about today, moment by moment.

What a lucky LMC to have you for a Dad.

Hugs to you both,
posie

Bernadette

Thanks for the smile (and the tear) Coyote!
Sounds like a great start to 4th grade.
Peace-
B

sirpher

Thanks for the story! I have a freshman and a 6th grader (both girls) and they acutally want to get back to school (more to see freinds than anything else).

nodaybut2day

Thanks for the story Coyote. Mine's 2, so school is a ways off, but I do drop her off at daycare daily, and I always feel horrid if she wails and grabs on when I try to leave. So, I take it, it'll get worse with elementary school??

ItsmeAlice

Sorry to hear about your lack of sleep. Seems she had a plan and was good to go today. That's the best way, right? Having a plan keeps fear of the unknown at bay.

Hope you are getting a little rest today. I bet she's loaded with stories to tell when she gets home

Alice

coyote21

I think that may just be a 2yo thing, LMC used to do that at daycare too. IT WAS THE WORST, but that's not what she does now. This isn't anything like the daycare deal, thank God.

I see a pattern here, every year, just kind of first day jitters I guess. It's over after day 1 is out of the way.

Our daycare deal pretty much stopped after a while. Then she would have bad days every so often.

No worries.

Thanks and God bless us all,
Coyote

BTW, your 2yo is really only 3 years from kinder.......I swear, you will blink and be drawing hearts yourself!

Learn2Live

I like this idea and also like the idea of putting a sticker on the back of the kids' hand. Then at the end of the day they could stick them on their notebook. What fun!!