Wonderful

As I was laying on Connor's bed the other night, settling in to read stories with him, a nagging thought popped into my head.  A thought every parent has probably had, and now that Connor is in school, it was now mine.  I wondered if Connor's teachers will ever see how wonderful he is.  My boy is full of energy, questions, and bounces.  He will talk the ear off a stranger - from people he's met at the grocery store to strangers in the elevator.  He will ask you how old you are and will come up with nicknames for you (like our friend, Dave, who will forevermore be known as "D").  He loves to dance, and does a pretty mean "Thriller".  He loves songs and music (just not when I sing...), loves to be silly, and has quite the imagination.  His memory amazes me, recollecting things from three years ago, when I can barely remember where I put my keys. His reading skills are exceptional, and he even knows how to sound out words to pronounce them correctly.  He loves numbers and math and can count to over 200.  He adores his baby sister, and worships his Dad.  He can play by himself for hours, or ham it up with a friend or two.  He loves to play outside and is fearless when it comes to playgrounds.

 But I worry that his teachers don't get to see this side of him.  He, the same kid who will chat it up with any adult, gets shy and reserved around large groups of kids.  He always has.  He tends to shy away from activities he's good at when he feels uncomfortable.  He can be stubborn.  Really stubborn.  As in total shutdown refusal to listen stubborn.   One day that may be beneficial for him, but right now it can hinder his education and learning.  His independence is a gift, but it's also making it difficult for him to follow directions.  As an only child for over 4 years, he had mastered the art of independent play and learning.  Now, all of a sudden, he's thrown into a room with 20 other kids and expected to follow new rules.  I have no doubt he'll get there, but it's a challenge now, and something we work on every day.

So I worry.  I worry that with all the work on helping Connor through his challenges, that his teachers won't ever get to see the amazing little boy that I love.  That, when they're not looking, could make them pee their pants laughing when he dances.  That some of the things he says should be quoted for years to come.  I worry that they won't see the kid that I see....and just how wonderful he is.
 

First Day

Connor had his very first day of Kindergarten on September 12, 2012.  No matter how I try to stop the time, he still continues to grow up.  I gave birth to him, blinked, and he grew up.  I'll try not to blink anymore!  This was the little man before we left the house:

I'd say he was pretty handsome in his new clothes!  He seemed like he was looking forward to going.  I wouldn't say he was excited, but at least he stopped saying "I'm not going to Kindergarten" after he met his new teacher, Mrs. Pike.  I took the day off so I could drop him off instead of having to leave him at extended day.  I also told him I would take him out to breakfast beforehand, just us.  We dropped off Maeve at Ms. Janet's and had a nice breakfast at IHOP.  Connor loves chatting it up with adults, and immediately started talking to Amanda, our server.  He ate a huge breakfast of baby pancakes (he got those because Maeve is a baby) and we had some great Mommy-Connor time.  This was a big day for him, after all!

After breakfast, it was time to drop off the little man.  He did very well, but as we started to make our way to the door, he was asking to be picked up.  I think he was getting a little nervous.  But he went right in with the teachers.  He did look back and say "Mommy" one last time, which was just about all I could take before I had to get to the car to cry.  My little baby boy isn't little anymore, and I was just a big ball of emotion all day!

At pick up he was very excited to see me.  He does have a few things to work on, but they are things that I knew may be an issue.  He'll get used to the way Kindergarten works and hopefully outgrow some of his behaviors.  There is a boy in his class, Jaiden, who used to attend daycare with him.  They seem to have reconnected because Connor kept saying "I like Jaiden S.!"  

I'm so proud of my boy and the courage it took to go to a (very big) brand new school without any tears!