Just when you think things are settling down...

So, Frank started school exactly one week ago.  My husband and I brought him, instead of just putting him on the bus that morning.  I wanted to see for myself where he would be, and to finally meet his teacher! We drove in separate cars, and Frank went with my husband. (We were going directly to our respective work as soon as we left Frank's school.  My lovely boss graciously told me it was fine for me to be an hour late for school myself that morning.)

Frank was wide awake and dressed at 6:30am that morning.  School doesn't start until 8:45am.

He was excited and chatty all morning...while he ate breakfast...while he stood outside my bedroom door talking to me while I got dressed...while he followed me back downstairs...right up until we walked in the door of the school building. Then he turned and buried his face in my chest.  (Yes, my first grader's face is at my chest height now.  Shut up.) 

He cried, a lot.  We met his teacher, who seems nice, and she told him she was going to need him to be her special helper that day.  He tried to stop crying when she said that, but he just couldn't- he put his head down on the cafeteria table and cried some more.

We finally made the (for me) gut-wrenching decision to leave.  "I don't think he's going to stop crying as long as we're here," I said quietly to my husband.  So, we gave him one more hug, told him we loved him and were proud of him, and we left.

He's been pretty quiet about his classroom experiences so far. He plays with D, a friend from his daycare, at recess every day, and they do a lot of work during the school day, but that's pretty much it.  He never mentions any other new friends he may have made.  He does play with one little boy from his class at aftercare, though.

I don't know...I kind of hoped to hear some new friend names by now, after a week.  Am I being unrealistic? I hope no one in his class is being mean to him because he cried the first day. 

Next week on Monday and Tuesday, his school is closed for Rosh Hashanah.  My school is closed Monday only.  His aftercare program, which is run by a local YMCA, said they run an all-day care program, at the Y, if they get 16 or more kids to sign up for it.  I just got the form yesterday with the instructions to call if we wanted it for next week, so I called as soon as I got home.  I then had a voicemail on my cell phone this morning, while I was in class, saying they weren't running it next week because of lack of interest.  lack of interest?  In a district as huge as ours is, they can't get 16 kids?  Really?  Maybe it's because you allowed less than 24 hours for parents to sign up for it before you decided whether to run it or not! Jerks.

Anyway, one of my coworkers had a brilliant suggestion.  I emailed Frank's former daycare and asked if we could do a dropin for one day, and they said yes, since he won't be seven until NEXT September! We can in theory do this all year.  It'll cost us, of course, but it's better than having to take personal days and sick days to look after him.

School starts this week!

It's going to be an interesting week. I start back at work on Tuesday.  Frank starts Thursday. My husband is working from home Tuesday and Wednesday.

Frank and I toured his new school last week.  Our tour guide was one of the office secretaries, Mrs N. Everyone was very nice and welcoming, even the principal.  We met several teachers who were in setting up their classrooms, but didn't meet his classroom teacher.  We were able to walk into his classroom, though, and he sat in his seat, briefly. 

When Frank is nervous or worried or upset about something, he simply refuses to discuss it. After we toured the school, I let him play on the playground for a while.  After we left, I asked him what he thought his school. "It's fine," was all he said.  When I sked him, "That's all?"  he responded with, "Yes, Mommy it's fine." Okay, then.

He has taken the same approach towards the death in the family. He flat out refuses to mention the decedent, and if her name is brought up, he pretends not to hear. He is still alternating between being angry at me and being very clingy, though. I'm not sure what else to do.  So much change for this child within a short time...new school, the absence of an important family member...I hope I am not screwing up here.