Time waits for no-one, and that certainly rang true as our son began primary school at the end of last week! It really doesn’t seem that long since he was a baby and it seems like he’s already heading off to school too soon. It has been a summer of preparation and me willing time to slow down so I could hold onto him just that little bit longer.
Preparing for Primary School
To help Reuben to acclimatise and feel more ready for school, we have done lots of things over the last couple of months. We’ve gone for drives past his school and subtly pointed it out to him and read books about going to school.
The school themselves have been wonderful with helping to prepare the children. We went for some stay-and-play sessions, resulting in Reuben being very excited to go back to play in the classroom again! His teacher also sent videos of her reading stories over the holidays. At first, he didn’t want to watch them and would grumpily nestle himself into my arms before slowly lifting his head to watch them. By the end of the holidays, he was excited to watch them and would sit on my lap looking at the screen from the start. His teacher also sent a video of his classroom which we showed him the day before he started school. Seeing all the toys really helped seal those positive feelings about going to school, as he discussed what he was going to play with first.
Is my son ready for school?
When Autumn went to school, I knew she was ready. She had so much energy, thirst for knowledge and is such a social butterfly that it was very much needed. That wasn’t the case with Reuben, as he is very wary of meeting new people (well, adults, really. Children he seems to warm to very quickly).However, he has pleasantly surprised me this week! I’m absolutely sure this is due to all the preparation from the school and ourselves.
First Day of School
Much to my relief, Reuben was in a really good mood the morning of his first day of school. He let us get into his uniform without complaint and even let me take *those* pictures outside the front door. His start time is later than Autumn’s, so after dropping her off, we waited. I was concerned that the additional wait would sour his mood, but he seemed to take that in his stride too. He looked super chilled out, lounging in a chair by the office. When it poured down with torrential rain, he came to the door to look out at it with me. He thought it was hilarious that the rain was getting his head wet as he peered out.
Before long, it was time for his teacher to collect him and take him to his classroom. I gave him a hug and kiss on the cheek and told him we’d pick him up at lunchtime, and off he went with no problems. I felt quite sad and empty – despite all the preparation for him, there’s nothing I could do to prepare my heart for my youngest heading off to school. Nevertheless, I don’t think my sadness will properly kick in until he’s at school full-time in a couple of weeks after the phasing in process.
I kept looking at the clock, wondering what he was doing. Then, following a largely sleepless night full of worry, I had a long nap. Then it was time to pick him up and I was so excited to see him. However, I was also a bit anxious about how he’d got on. I needn’t have worried, though, because he came running out to me with a HUGE smile! He also had a sticker and sand on his jumper from playing in the sandpit. When he was at nursery, it was almost impossible to get anything out of him about his morning. As such, I was surprised when he happily recounted what he’d played with that morning and eating a banana at breaktime!
Further Reflections
I’m really sad that we’ve got here so fast. As a Mum, it feels like you’re constantly mourning different versions of them as they grow. In these 4 years, I’ve loved so many versions of him already. I’ve really tried to savour them. Alas, they’ve still silently slipped away, only to be consigned to my memories and photographs. Yet seeing Reuben’s positivity, I’m really excited for his new adventure. I hope we’ve made the right decision with everything.
I read back over my thoughts from when Autumn was starting school. A lot of them don’t concern me the second time round or don’t apply to Reuben. However, I was amused reading that I was worried about only being able to take holidays in school holidays and whether we’d ever be able to afford one again. There’s a reason we’ve only been camping since Autumn started school!
Despite my emotions, I’m quite looking forward to next week. Hopefully Reuben’s enthusiasm will continue!
Cover photo by Miguel Á. Padriñán: https://www.pexels.com/photo/color-pencil-set-194098/