Getting Over My First Weeks of Kindergarten

My son started kindergarten this year.  I hesitated as he is a young 5 going in to the class. We had been told just after he was born that because of his birth date and the fact he was a boy that we may need to consider waiting until he was 6 to have him begin kindergarten. 

I struggled for what seemed like months to decide what was best for him.  Academically I felt he was ready for kindergarten but socially I wasn’t sure.  Would he be able to sit still and quiet to listen to the teacher?  Would he be able to keep up with a lot of 6 year olds in his class?  I wasn’t sure.  I asked his pre- k teacher and after much discussion it was her opinion he would be ready for the challenges of kindergarten. 

We prepared my son all summer long for the first day of kindergarten and yet, I was the one who was most nervous and worried.  They began class with parents helping with a project.  It was a Kissing Hand based on the book.  The students made one for themselves and one for the parents.  As it turns out, I really needed that kissing hand! 

The Kissing Hand

My son’s first week was rife with every worry I had imagined being played out daily.  He didn’t eat one day, he got hit one day, he was lost one day when I went to pick him up, he was made fun of by his peers one day and yada yada yada.  You get the picture.  Yet, my son, the young five year old managed to get through all of the problems and WANT to go back to school.  In fact, he has been thriving!  Being he is a nervous type, I was on the lookout for his teeth grinding, nail biting, nightmares and other general signs of tension from the rigors of school life.  He had none of those.  I on the other hand had all of that and then some.  

I was beginning to be awakened to an idea when one day we decided to try swim lessons again with a friend of ours.  I began the lesson determined I would stay on the sideline and watch.  After a few moments of my son acting up, I was getting very uncomfortable about being out there.  I decided to try going inside where I wouldn’t be a distraction.  Sure enough, he had a great lesson.  Every lesson after that, I stayed away and he had a great class.  

I believe that as hard as it has been for me recently to witness how mature and capable he really is, it is just as important that I step out of the way and allow it to happen.  If I were making the decisions I would have never guessed he would be doing so well in class.  I would have held him back needlessly. 

 I know I am not the only mom who has had these feelings and I would like to say to those who will be looking for direction next year with their children, give your children the chance to prove themselves.  Volunteering in school, if you can, helps a lot as well.  I have felt so much better now that I volunteer because I see for myself what a big boy he really is and that he doesn’t need me so much.   On that note, I am going to go find my Kissing Hand and laminate it