The Craziest Morning

We had the craziest morning over here and now I feel sick to my stomach.

Stress and I don't get a long very well and "stress" was the word of the day.

It all started out fine. We woke up and I started getting everyone ready to take Alex to school. No big problems there. We got to school on time and Alex went off to his class.


Since his Pre-school is at our church, I thought I may as well get involved with the Mom to Mom group that meets there twice a month while Alex is in class. They have childcare for Eliana and, let's be honest, I could use a break in the routine and connect with other moms.

Now, this part is all my fault. I waited until the last minute to register for the group and we had a very hard time getting me settled. I was so embarrassed and frustrated that I almost said, "Forget it" and left. The ladies running the group were over the top with how accommodating they were. They wanted to make everything, from finding me a group to making sure Eliana could stay in childcare, work. I'm just not good with that sort of thing. I'm not comfortable with people saying "Don't be sorry. We want you to be here".

Anyway, I stayed and met some other moms and had a great time getting to know them. The group is going to see if they're able to care for Eliana (if they have enough staff) and then they'll call and let me know if I can come back. I'm fine with that. Really. I know it was my fault for waiting until the last minute to commit. I just felt stressed and insecure. Silly girl stuff.

After the group, I went and got Eliana and then she and I waited for Alex's school to be through. They have a window you can look in to watch the class. I got nosy and went to see how Alex was doing. What I saw left me with a pit in my stomach. Alex was hanging to the back of the group and standing up while the others were all sitting and listening to a story. One of the teachers was talking to him. I could tell, though, that he wasn't listening or wanting to listen.

As he came out of the class, I gathered his things and helped him get his coat on to leave. I briefly asked his teacher how he did. She told me he had a pretty hard time today.

Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.

I commented that sometimes I notice he seems to be a bit all over the place. To which she replied that she would like to give him a couple weeks to get adjusted to the routine of preschool. {He could just have a hard time getting used to the transitions and expectations.} But she also said "It's good that you're aware of that. I'm going to help him as much as I can and we'll talk more later."

Number 1.
I love his teacher to bits. I'm confident that she has a very good grasp on what should and shouldn't happen and I know she'll have some recommendations should Alex still have a problem after a couple week's time. He's in a good environment with her and for that I am truly grateful.

Number 2.
Oh, my heart. *here's where the tears come in* No parent wants to see their child struggle. I know I do my best with Alex. I mess up here and there but that's natural. I'm trying not to jump to conclusions and go "worst case scenario" with this. At the same time, I'm making a mental list of things that I've seen with him that could just be with his age and immaturity or could be something else too.

If anything is going to get us through his adjusting or not adjusting to school, it's love. Within love exists patience, understanding, and all the other tools I need to help Alex along. And "love never fails".

So, for now, I'm going to try and make adjustments here at home and try to talk to Alex without jumping to conclusions. He and I had a talk at lunch when we got home. I assured him he was not in trouble and I loved him very much. He told me some of his frustrations and I explained the expectations of school the best way I knew how without coming across harshly.

At the end of the day, he's 3 years old. I want the best for him socially, emotionally, physically, spiritually, and in every other way.

Has anyone experienced rough transitions to school with their preschooler? What were some of the things that worked for you?

I'm all ears...err...in this case, I'm all eyes. ;)