Dragon Starts School!

Dear Dragon,

You started something big.  Really, it's been quite huge!  Your first day of school EVER!  Everyone assured me it would be easier sending you off for your first day than it was to send Lion because I had done it all before.  They were wrong.

I was a mess.  I didn't cry when I dropped you off... but I was a mess.  I took you shopping for your school stuff with Lion WAY back in December.  We were so organised!  Except for the stuff we meant to get somewhere else and with all the time and holidays that elapsed we forgot about until the few days before school started... oops.  But that didn't matter, we went out and bought hats and those hard to find books and had a little time with just you and me in the last days of holidays and it was lovely... and reminded me that it wouldn't get to happen very often any more.

But that first day, that was a great day!  Daddy had made sure his holidays lasted long enough that he would get to be part of the first day of school for you... and you checked over and over and over that morning that he was coming to school too.  You woke up early that day, but you always do.  You and Lion played or watched TV or something... I'm not sure what you two do in the mornings, I know that you have both finally learnt not to come and wake me up over and over and over.  At 6:15, just short of my alarm going off you turned up beside my bed.  "Mum, Mum, is today the day I start school?" "Yes, it is my darling".  You climbed into bed with me, or rather JUMPED on the bed and just about knocked me out, and gave me a massive hug and made sure I knew just how excited you were!  How could I want to keep you home with me when you were so excited about going to school?

The night before I had made sure everything was ready.  I had a table set up in the lounge room with all the school supplies you boys needed and your new shoes and your uniforms and I had your lunches in the fridge ready to go.

all ready for a BIG first day for two precious boys...

You ate your breakfast FAST.  I don't think you've ever managed to eat breakfast that fast with no reminders to keep going.  You didn't need to be told, you just put your dish away and went and grabbed your uniform.

[This is the point where writing this, nearly 6 weeks later, I started crying and had to go and do something else for a little while]

so many books for a prep boy.  Covered with pirates and Lightening McQueen.

I helped you to get your uniform on, new socks can be tricky to pull on until they have stretched a bit.  You looked incredibly grown up all of a sudden.

looking so smart in your formal uniform

We were just about all ready to go to school and it was time to get some photos happening.  Your natural clown personality combined with your absolute excitement meant that we got some very funny photos of you an Lion.  I had to do a trade with you, if you let me take the photos I wanted then you and Lion could clown around for some photos too.

one of your clowning photos has become one of my favourites

We arrived at school bright and early.  We tracked down each of your classrooms, we found Lion's first, his was a multi-age class with prep/1/2, I had to double check that list to make sure you weren't in that class too!  I then went off to check the lists on all the prep room doors, I thought I would start at the classroom where Lion was for prep... it was the one that you were SURE you would be in.  I was so relieved to see that sure enough your name was on the list.  More than having been Lion's classroom, I think the attraction was the Teacher's Aide that is in that room... Mrs Ch and you really hit it off when Lion was in prep, I knew for sure that this was going to be a great year for you now that you were in her class!

Lion ready for his first day of Grade 2

I went back to where you were waiting with daddy and gave you the good news.  Now that you knew your classroom it seemed to all get a bit more real and you went a bit quiet.  Eventually Lion's classroom opened up and we took him in to get settled.  We found where to put all his belongings and store all his books and we all gave him big kisses and cuddles to help him through his first day.  We kind of knew his teacher from previous years and I had only heard good things about her, I wasn't sure about the big difference in ages in the classroom but I knew that his teacher, Miss R, was going to do her best.

*That class has since been split up as school numbers increased over the first two weeks and Lion is now in a straight year 2 class with a fantastic teacher Mrs R*

We took you over to your classroom and it was just getting opened up as we arrived.  I hadn't checked on the door when I found your name who your teachers would be so I was surprised to find that over the holidays the teacher who had been in that classroom for what seemed like forever had decided it was time to retire and it was a new teacher, Mrs Cr.  Thankfully Mrs Ch was still the aide.  We got all your books and paper and pens and things put away.  We found where to put your hat and your bag and your lunch and made sure you knew where everything was then we got your name tag on and started to try to settle you into one of the activities that were happening.  Did you want to play with the puzzles... no.  Did you want to read in the library corner... no.  Did you want to do the connector activity on the table... no.  You wanted to cling to us.  Daddy tried to see if he would have better luck convincing you to try an activity... no. I asked if there was something else you might like to do, you walked straight over to Mrs Ch and asked if you could colour in and could she clear the table (it was holding some of the supplies brought in) for you to do some drawing.  That's my Dragon, organising things to run his way right from the first minute of school.

jumping right in and organising the classroom... That's my Dragon

We left you drawing and doing your best to ignore the friendly little girl, J, who came to sit next to you.  Little did we know that she would become a firm friend and the topic of conversation many many times over the coming weeks.

Daddy took Monkey and I out for a coffee and we did our best to not talk about what had just happened.  I could feel myself getting upset whenever it came up but I hadn't shed a tear yet... I had tried my best to stay excited for you all morning.  Eventually we got home, Monkey went down for a nap, Daddy was doing his own things and I was left to think about my morning.  It didn't take me long to be a crying mess.  I missed you.  You were usually my company while Monkey slept, even though you were supposed to spend that time playing quietly in your room you never failed to appear at my elbow every 2 minutes to ask for this or that or tell me something of vital importance.  Your absence was very noticeable.  I watched the clock, I counted the hours, then the minutes until I could leave to go and get my precious boys from school.  I do that most days, I miss you and Lion while you are at school.

I must have looked at this photo 100 times during the day

FINALLY we left to go and pick you both up.  I collected you from your classroom while Daddy collected Lion.  You spotted me as soon as I walked in the door and started to hop up and down on  your bottom, Mrs Ch saw me and said that you could go and you were up like a shot and walking as quick as you could to come and give me a hug!  We gathered your bag and headed over to Lion's classroom.  I started asking what you had done today... "nothing".  Oh, it's going to be like that.  Thankfully by the end of the week you were a little more forthcoming with information about your day but never very much.

You are settling in well at school.  Your teachers say you are a pleasure to have in the class.  You are making so many friends and I can see you growing up more and more every day.  I am so proud of my Dragon, I pray that you will keep up this excitement for school and be a wonderful student through all your school years.

my precious school boy & I

I love you a lot,
Mummy.