A Few Thoughts on the First Week of Kindergarten

We are officially one week into Kindergarten. Things are still going great! I wanted to jot down a few thoughts about our first week though since this is such a big deal for us (with a few random pictures from the last few weeks).

 

 

 

1. There are no more lazy mornings. None. So much for rolling into work around 8:30 or 9 ish. Kids are up by 6:30, and we are out the door by 7:10, at work by 8 ish on a good day. I made the mistake of leaving at 7:20 one morning last week--really, really bad idea for your new kindergartener to be there late on the second day of school. My commute was an hour and 20 minutes that day. With a screaming 2 year old who wanted out. Won't be making that mistake again!

 

2. Which brings me to my next point, carpool is for the birds! It is awful! I don't have that much time to waste in one day. The morning is bad enough if you don't hit the right "window", but all of you that get there at 1:30 when school doesn't get out until 2:30 really have too much time on your hands! (and I mean that in a very jealous kind of way!)

 3. There has only been one thing that Hudson has complained about, and that is the lunch room number. Not the lunch room food (which looks and sounds pretty gross), but rather the actual number that he has to remember. And his number is 90210 by the way...who can forget that?!?! He doesn't understand the importance.

4. We have alternated buying lunch and taking lunch and that seems to be going well. I review the lunch menu each day and if I think he'll eat it, I make him buy. If it's carrot soufflé and spinach like one day last week, I send his lunch.

5. By Thursday (2 days of school), Hudson didn't need any assistance finding his classroom in the morning. So happy about that! I wasn't ever really worried about him (I knew he would find help if he needed it), but making him hurry out of the car in the carpool line in the mornings and watching him go in the school by himself is just a strange feeling! He has been totally fine getting out of the car in the mornings though--super easy and he's always smiling! Makes it easier on this mama!

6. By Friday (4 days of school), Hudson told me every one of the names of the kids in his class. I was proud of him for making lots of new friends in the first week!

7. I've also learned that what comes out of Hudson's mouth for the first 20 minutes after I pick him up is all I'm going to hear about school that day. It just isn't happening after that.

 

 8. Hudson claims that one day he was bitten. I thought we were past that stage? That's been the only sort of strange thing this week.

9. Big school is exhausting! I haven't gotten a whole lot out of Hudson after school. He's watched a lot of TV this past week in the afternoons, and I think that's ok! And he never complains when we say it's time for bed!

 10. After one week, he says gym and recess are his favorite parts of the day. Recess is right after lunch, in the middle of the day. In August, I can't think of anything worse, but he loves it. He also loved the library, and brought home a book about Leopards!

This morning, he asked me why he had to go to big school every single day. It was one of those comments that I hated to hear and it really hit me in the gut, and I went into my speech about how he is a big boy now and he has to go, yada, yada, yada, and he got the biggest smile on his face and said, "Ok Mom, I love big school!" Phew! Let's hope this keeps up.

So far, so good! We really can't complain about the transition so far and every day is easier and easier on me too. It's hard to believe we are at this point, but it's good. In just a week, Hudson has gotten so much "older" to me. It's like a little part of him is leaving us already, which is a little sad, but we are excited about what is to come.