School's Out!

Last Friday was Tom's last day of Kindergarten! His teacher held a small ceremony in her classroom with all the parents there. She brought each child up and told everyone some of their strengths and what they had accomplished while they were in her class. They all looked so proud of themselves! 

Tom was so calm and happy that day, I half expected him to change his mind about not going there for 1st grade. But as soon as the ceremony was over he said, "Let's go! I'm done!". Honestly, when he is at school he is like a stretched rubber band. He is always on the alert for what he is supposed to do and what everyone else is doing. He is constantly wondering what is going to happen next. And when he comes home after school, he is still stressed about what will happen the next day. Who will take me to school? Will there be traffic? Will I get there in time? Do I like my lunch? Do I have time to go the bathroom? What snack will I have at recess? Do I have a pencil? What should I write during journal time? Where do I sit lunch? When can I go out for recess? Is Mom going to get here in time to take me home? Not to mention...Will there be a fire drill? An earthquake? A real fire?

In only three days, he has relaxed a bit, just realizing that he doesn't have to go back to that building. He cried once because he likes learning, he said, and he doesn't want to miss math! And he likes his friends, too. But yesterday when we went to park day for our new group, he saw there were older boys there and that sealed it for him. He loves having older kids around. This will be so good for all of us!