The Bigs Go Back to School

What a great first week! The girls LOVE their teachers and this mama couldn’t be happier to see their smiling faces when I pick them up every day. I had a different set of concerns for each one since they are such different kids. Kaleigh was so closely bonded to her amazing teacher last year, that I was a little worried she wouldn’t take to her new one very quickly. Well, true to form, Little River, being the exceptional school it is, had already taken great lengths to fill in Kaleigh’s new teacher about things that could help her transition to this new year.  The counselor even set up a lunch for her, Kaleigh, and the teacher to talk through some things that might be helpful to my sweet girl throughout the day if she finds herself struggling.

I think I was more concerned about Leah’s week. You see, this is her first year of all day school because kindergarten is half-day, but thankfully, I feel like we hit the teacher jackpot. Leah’s teacher couldn’t be more enthusiastic, loving, and compassionate. I am quite certain that a lot of thought was put into Leah’s placement by the staff at LRE, and I will forever be grateful. When Bill got sick last year before school started, Leah decided she was shy. This was a new thing for her and often resulted in her not even talking to already established friends in the neighborhood. It was an ongoing concern for me last year because I couldn’t tell what she was thinking or what she needed. I talked to her wonderful teachers about it and they made me feel a lot better about it based on how she was interacting with kids in their classroom, but I still didn’t know what to expect this year.

She still says she is shy, but this week she also come home and talked about other kids in her class. This is a big step for her. Even just one sentence about her day makes me feel better. She says she loves PE and loves Art and Music. It makes my heart so full to feel like she is already making progress from last year. I know there are a lot of contributing factors… age, maturity, regular routine, life without the constant uncertainty of what’s going on with Dad, of not having to wonder when mom will have to go back to Boston. I know this is just the first week, but I’m really hopeful that this progress will continue. I know that she is well taken care of at LRE. They both are. And it makes the days so much easier-not easy-but easier.

If you could continue to pray for the school year, I’d appreciate it.  For me as I try to navigate activities, schedules, quality time, and work time along with all the emotions, etc… Today was a pretty crummy day, but I’ll write more about that another time. For right now, I want to focus on being thankful that Bill made it possible for us to stay in this amazing neighborhood where my kids can flourish and grow surrounded by families who love them. And where they get to go to school with unbelievably amazing teachers, counselors, and administrators who care for them where they are and who encourage them in their journey of healing.