a boy and a bus

He rode the bus, for the first time August 16th.

He was all excited about it the night before...

but this was him at the bus stop that morning.

Nervous, apprehensive...scared.

"mom how am I gonna find my classroom?"

and so I did what any mama of a first time school bus riding kindergartener would do, I walked right on the bus and told the bus driver "this is R, it is his first day riding a bus, and he wants to make sure he will get to Mrs. C's class."  She assured him he would, and introduced him to another one of his classmates.

I told P as I walked in from sending him off on the bus, how scared R looked.  Daddy bear wanted to drive right to that school and make sure R got to his class...isn't he amazing?!  I told him it is best to let R figure it out, and figure it out he did.

 

and looking at this picture now, makes me teary eyed.  He looked so scared, so tiny on that big bus.  There have been many times this last week that I second guess this.  That I think I could easily teach him here, at home.  But then I think about what he would miss out being here, with me.  Ultimately I want him to be happy. I want him to run inside his classroom, feel excitement as he slowly closes that awkward phase of newness and begins real, nurturing friendships.  I want him to experience the opportunity that exists between those walls of that ancient school, in those books, through these someday soon friends. It is just this inbetween stage, that I'm not liking.  The same point of school that I'm sure the teachers dread each year.

And just as I begin to wonder if he should be a carpool kiddo instead of a bus rider, he comes home after day #2 of riding the bus with his great cheese ball smile.

 

So I continue to encourage him to step out of him comfort zone, to be brave when he isn't feeling so brave.  To ask questions, and work hard.  I praise him as he completes his homework, and as he shows me proudly his work that he did during the school day.  Brother can write a pretty amazing lowercase m.  His writing is improving like crazy, a skill he'd constantly eyeroll when I'd ask him to work with me at home...The "highs of this week so far" per R - "PE with Mr. B, cause we get to be all rowdy and wild, and Nilla wafer cookies in my boxlunch, and getting picked up from the bus stop by my Kip."

One more day till the weekend baby, gonna soak it up like crazy with my school aged kiddo.

My little guy is stretching and growing, and changing, and it is exciting, and nerverwrecking to see.

Up next, graduate school this week for me...let the chaos begin!