The Rock

This week we started our third week of school and I'm pleased to report that everything is now running smoothly. Michael is thriving in third grade (and finally being challenged in his spelling words!). Nicholas had a bit of a rough start but he's finally settling into kindergarten.

Lake Orion schools are smart. The first week of school they ease the kindergarten teachers and kids into the routine by having a staggered start. The first day only half of the students come to school, then the next day the other half attend. On the third day of school, which is Friday, everyone comes together for the first time.

Even so, going to kindergarten is a big adjustment. The first day Nicholas got off the bus with lots to say but the minute he walked in the house he ran right for the bathroom.

"Have to go peeee..." he shouted.

"Didn't you go at school today?" I asked.

"No. The teacher didn't ask if we had to go," replied Nicholas. In pre-K last year the teachers would line the kids up once or twice for a bathroom trip. Nicholas's kindergarten class has bathrooms right in the room so he can go whenever he wants. I don't think he realized this fact.

The next day of school the whole class was there - all 25 of them. He seemed a little overwhelmed when he got off the bus that afternoon.

"Michael, were you at that big, gigantic recess?" he exclaimed to his brother while we were walking home.

Michael was confused. "What big recess?" he asked.

"You know, the really big recess with all the kids!" Nicholas replied.

"Oh, I know what you're talking about," I said. "You're talking about the lunch recess right?" Today had been  his first recess with all the kids.

"Yeah, that gigantic recess. I cried cause I missed Michael," Nicholas said matter-of-factly. Hmm, interesting.

"Well, did you find your friend Casey?" I asked. Casey was in the other kindergarten class and his mom and I had told our boys to look for each other on the playground. A familiar face often works wonders.

"No, I couldn't find him," said Nicholas.

The next week I received more reports about crying at the big, gigantic recess. On Monday, Nicholas did find Casey and they both cried together because they missed their moms. It became evident that I needed to do something to help Nicholas feel less overwhelmed, but what? I was in new territory because Michael had never had any troubles with kindergarten, well any that he told me about anyway. 

So I turned to my wise sister-in-law who is a noon aide at my niece's elementary. She suggested that I find a small, flat rock that Nicholas could keep in his pocket. When he was missing me or feeling blue he could reach in his pocket, feel that rock, and be reminded of me.

And that's what I did. I found a small rock in the shape of a circle and drew a heart on one side and the words "I love you" on the back. Wednesday morning I showed Nicholas the rock and told him what it was for. As I put it in his pocket I told him to reach in and feel it when he felt like he needed some Mama love. I couldn't wait for him to get home that day so I could see if it worked.

It did. That afternoon Nicholas ran off the bus and gave me a great big hug. "Mom," he said excitedly, "at recess I started crying a little and then I remembered about the rock and it made me stop crying!"

"I'm so glad," I said as I gave him a kiss on the head.

The next afternoon he told me that he cried a little in class because he lost the rock at recess. "Can you make me another one?" he added. I promised that I would.

However, as we were about to go out the door on Friday morning I realized that I hadn't made a new one. I didn't have time to go find a rock so I quickly wrote "I love you" on a yellow piece of paper and put it in Nicholas's pocket.

When Nicholas got off the bus that afternoon he was a veritable chatterbox about school. As he was talking, he reached in his pocket.

"Here, Mom," he said handing me the yellow piece of paper that I had given him earlier. "I don't need this anymore. I didn't cry today at recess. Casey and I played instead."

Hurray!!! Problem solved! I felt a surge of joy reach my face and spread my mouth into a smile. I looked down at Nicholas. He was smiling and laughing as he skipped down the road with his brother and friend. My kindergartener had arrived!!

Out of the mouths of babes: Yesterday Nicholas learned about the Pledge of Allegiance. They learned all about the different words in the Pledge ( pledge, allegiance, indivisible, liberty, justice, and Republic) and what each word meant. Nicholas had his own description for the word Republic, however. "Mom, I thought they were talking about the Star Wars Republic Gunship," he reported. Oh, the things you learn by having an older brother :)