I took this photo before we left for testing. It makes me a little teary, goofy smile and all.
Testing went fine. Luke was reluctant to head to the classroom without me, but did go willingly with the teacher he knows and his buddy Kate. I purposely signed Luke up to test with someone he knew. And we went to Kate's house to play the day before testing. I think the familiarity helped.
This weekend we enjoyed playing with our friend J and his baby brother while their parents were at a seminar. J is a little young for Wii, but the boys connected over some old favorite stand-bys.
The ball popper.
Watching Mickey Mouse.
And a little wrestling and couch jumping. Big fun. We had a great time.
So today I cried for the first time about kindergarten. Unfortunately I was at work. My timing is impeccable. When we visit school, I feel so at peace about the upcoming year. But at 3:00 a.m. I wake up wondering things like if he can get from the drop-off line to his classroom, if they have ketchup in the lunchroom, if he can open the ketchup, if kids still step on ketchup packets and make it squirt across the room, and if Luke will ever get ketchup squirted on him.
This evening I worried that Luke can't get toilet paper from the larger "industrial" toilet paper rolls without help. Yes, he's been in preschool for years. But his preschool class had 12 children and at least 4 adults at all times. He always had help with anything if he needed it. So tonight at church we practiced with the big toilet paper dispenser. He's good.
I wish I knew everything I should prepare him for. I wish we could rehearse each new situation and role play the right choice to make. But knowing every detail of his days isn't possible and probably wouldn't be beneficial for either of us. I pray that our parenting thus far, though full of flaws, with the help of excellent preschool teachers and therapists, has prepared him. And for all those inevitable moments he's not prepared for, I pray God will send helpers, angels on earth, to guide him. And that there will be no toilet paper or ketchup troubles.
2 comments:
Oh, girl. I will be praying for you. I know that is TOUGH. Next year, it will be my Luke, and I can already guarantee you that I will be a basket case. I will pray for your Luke that his days go smoothly, that all the kids are nice, and that there are no ketchup or toilet paper incidents:). Please let us know how it goes!
I can so relate! The first day, all the parents went to class with their kids (we'd visited before, of course). The second, I made sure Will had good directions and dropped him off. I teared up as he walked away. Then I proceeded to park and walk in the school so I could peek in his class and make sure he made it and wasn't going to spend the next three hours wandering the halls. He was sitting in his seat at his table, looking ready to work. (As an aside, there were volunteers "on the ready" in the hallways asking kids, "Do you know where you need to go?" It's almost like they have experience with kindergartners! :) ) When I picked Will up, I asked if he'd had help getting to class. He looked at me like I was crazy and said, "No. Don't you remember - you gave me directions!" :)
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