First Day, First Week

Everyone is now back at school. As much as I love the idea of summer vacation, I think our family functions better doing the school year. Routine, good.
Going back to school was uneventful for Sam. When we found out a few of his friends from last year, including his "best" friend, were in his class this year, it calmed any anxiety he had.

But we were a little more worried about Jacob. First of all, we didn't have much time to prepare him for what was ahead. (Although that could be a good thing. I think we sometimes try too hard to "sell" something to a kid, and they get suspicious.) But I thought of it this way: Imagine your boss comes to you on Thursday and tells you that on Monday you will be starting a new job. You won't know any of your coworkers or your boss. You have to commit to it for a year. And by the way, half of your new job will be conducted in a language you don't speak or understand. That is basically what we were thrusting Jake into.

But so far ... and I do realize we are only two days in ... he has done remarkably well. At school at least. He is proud of his backpack and uniform (and one of the cutest kids EVER), is social with his teacher and schoolmates. But by the end of the yesterday, I think he was so tired of please and thank you and yes ma'am and circle time and line leaders and bubbles that he had some pent-up frustration. Which led to a prize-winning wobbler last night when he requested that I somehow defy all laws of physics and put cookies in the lunch I'd packed for him that day. The lunch he'd eaten five hours earlier. The promise to put cookies in the next day's lunch was no consolation.

But after I threatened him with no dinner and an evening spent alone in his room (yes, I have the Carol Brady approach to discipline), he worked his way out.

And we started all over today.