School started here the first week of August, which really throws me off because when I was a kid we did not start school until after Labor Day. So I have been conditioned to feel as though back-to-school season is synonymous with fall. Only it does not feel autumnal around here. It’s swelteringly hot but that did not stop me from making pumpkin french toast this morning. I am a rebel without a cause.
Many of you have asked how Scarlette is adjusting to Kindergarten, assuming that I would have many stories to share about her foray into big kid school and you are right. I do. But first, let me just tell you how I am adjusting to Kindergarten. NOT WELL, Y’ALL.
Kindergarten starts at 7:50 in the AM. Scarlette has attended preschool a few mornings a week for the past couple of years and drop-off was from 9-9:20am. I barely made it to that. I walked her in at 9:30 more times than I can count, because I am a diligent, responsible parent who is very good at time-management.
So now I am attempting to feed, clothe, and encourage good hygiene all before 7:30 in the morning with two children, one of whom prefers to spend that time attached to my breast. I’m fairly sure that my appearance is frightening the other children at drop-off every morning. I showed up the other day with my nursing bra still unhooked and wearing two different flip-flops. I have no idea why no one asked me to be room mom this year. Clearly I have my stuff together.
On the first day of Kindergarten I watched my tiny little girl walk into her classroom, sit down at her desk and blow me a kiss goodbye. Then I got in my car and do you even know what song started playing? Baby Mine. That’s right. The lullaby from Dumbo. I bawled the whole way to breakfast. I walked in to meet my girlfriends with mascara just pouring down my face. It was not at all disturbing for the sweet teenager trying to take my order at Chick-Fil-A.
We chose to put Scarlette in a half-day program this year so the transition hasn’t been too bad for her. She did tell me that she hates paperwork. Oh, and also she tried to run away from home the other day.
I mean, that had less to do with Kindergarten and more to do with the fact that I took away screen time for disobedience. To which she replied tearfully, “MOMMY! I just do NOT want to be TREATED LIKE THIS!”
Then she told us that she was going to live somewhere else, with other people who would let her make her own decisions. “I’m LEAVING here so I can just go be a HUMAN!” she said, stamping her foot in the hallway. (Daniel Tiger’s mom says that when you’re mad you should stop three times and you’ll feel better. Scarlette has taken this advice to heart and I’m not real sure how I feel about that, PBS.)
She made it all the way to the garage with an armful of My Little Ponies before coming back upstairs and asking us to open the garage doors for her because she couldn’t reach the buttons. She apparently forgot that she knows how to open the front door.
For all her sass and spirit she has remained on green for good behavior all month at school so overall things are going well. At least, I think they are. My five month old has reverted to nursing three times a night again so I’m still in a bit of a haze. Personally, I think I should get a gold star for remembering to do things like “pack a lunch” and “turn in homework” and “wear pants.”
(P.S. Ridley’s surgery went really well, thank you for keeping him in your prayers!)
