The Trials of First Grade

Saturday!! I can't imagine being so thankful for a Saturday. It's been a long, hard week at school and Dane is really struggling with being there from 8:30 to 3:00. Wednesday at bedtime, he asked me how many more days of school he had. I laughed. It was only the second day of school. Then he asked how many more weeks there were until summer and I realized something was wrong. He started crying and got more and more upset. He was crying so hard, he couldn't even tell me what was wrong. Finally, between sobs, he eeked out the words, "I don't think I can do it. I can't be away from you so long."

How do you console a child when you're near tears yourself because of the same reason. Thankfully, he had an appointment with the Allergist on Thursday at 11:00 so I was taking him out to lunch afterwards. I was able to dangle that in front of him to calm him down. Then I snuggled him in his bed for a little while.

When I returned him to school on Thursday, my heart broke a little. He's so little, so sweet, and still so needy of Mommy. Deanna was very different. She's such a Type-A personality, she couldn't wait to tackle school and spend the day with her friends. When I picked him up at 3:00, he said he thought he was finally getting used to school. I thought we were making progress. Then, at bedtime Thursday, he had another meltdown. He asked if I was going to pick him up for lunch on Friday, too. My tender-hearted little boy is really struggling with the lack of time with me.

Last year, in Kindergarten, he got off at 1:00. Daelyn was napping and Deanna was still in school, so we had from 1-3 to ourselves every day. We'd read books together, do his homework, talk about his day (uninterrupted), and sometimes watch a movie together while munching on popcorn - good times with MOM. This year, he comes home with Sissy. She is very adept at controlling the conversation and making sure it's always about HER day. So Dane sits quietly, waiting for his turn, which never comes. Then it's snacktime and we go straight to homework. By the time I finish working with both the children on their homework, it's time to start dinner. We eat, clean up, get baths, and it's bedtime - no special time for Dane to spend with Mom. I understand why he's having a tough time. Then you add to that the results of his doctor's visit - sinus infection and rattling in his chest that she believes to be the beginnings of bronchitis. Dane is sick and hasn't had near enough sleep this week - he's tired, grumpy, and having difficulty dealing. So would I.

While Don took Deanna and Daelyn to a family meal at my mother's last night (my 23 yr. old nephew is visiting from North Carolina), I took Dane out to dinner at the restaurant of his choice for a little extra Mommy-time. He chose Golden Corral. I paid $3.19 plus tax for him to eat 5 shrimp and 2 sprigs of broccoli (literally). But he was thrilled to be alone with me, and that was worth way more than $3.19. Then we went to Blockbuster and I let him pick out a movie of his own (Batman, of course, one of the old animated ones), we came home and got on jammies, snuggled in my bed for a few minutes and chatted, and then I got him settled in bed - by 8:15.

He has two days of rest and T.V. to recuperate, not to mention a Batman video that doesn't have to be returned until Wednesday. I'm praying for my little guy that he adjusts, so I can begin to adjust. I'm seriously re-thinking the possiblity of home-schooling.