Progress Report

Four days into week two of full-time school.  And things are looking up!

We talked with Drew on and off over the weekend about school.  We realize and accept this is a big change for him, and want to help him work through his nervousness and sadness about it - especially considering he has many, many years of schooling ahead of him and oh my lands if he's still crying on the first day of 7th grade, we've got a problem!  So we talked.  We talked about the things that are really awesome about school and we talked about the things that aren't so great.  We didn't want to make a super huge deal about it all - it's really just a fact of life at this point for the kid and he just needs to get used to it.

So I didn't expect for things on Monday to be perfect, but I was hoping for improvement.  And with a lot of positive talk and a lot of silliness and laughter and not to mention that fairly healthy bribe we offered him should there be no tears...  Big Man Drew pulled it off!  He needed some reminders as the flood gates were about to open at a few different moments, but a silly remark or funny face made him laugh and he snapped out of it.  

And he received his new Cars car when he got home after school.  :)

On Tuesday, better still.  It was almost like he was a new man!  He still wants me to walk him into his classroom and walk with him through his morning routine there, but he was pretty low-key about the whole thing.  And when I went to leave - I barely got a kiss!  I know this is a good thing.   

{Of note: on Tuesday morning, one of the aides in his classroom told me that he is doing a lot of good things at school.  She suggested to Drew that he show me his "bee sticks."  They are popsicles sticks that are given as reward for, as Drew says, "doing good things."  Apparently upon receiving 10 bee sticks, the children will receive some sort of prize.  Well, when we marched over to see all the bee sticks, Drew had four.  The most in the whole class.  And yes, I will brag and be very, very smug about it.  Ok.  I'm done now.}

His mood has been brighter all week.  He hasn't said "I don't wanna go" since Monday.  He's made at least one friend, even calling him his "best friend."  He's doing good things there, apparently, and every day he tells me his day was good.

Whew.

Kindergarten may not be so bad after all.