August 13, 2008

It's hard to be left behind

Public school began here today, which means that 11 of Andrew's classmates started their Wednesday in new schools across town and ended it in a different classroom at Andrew's school this afternoon. I am confident in our decision to wait until next year to send him to Kindergarten, but my heart is breaking a little for him. Approximately eleventy-million children begin Kindergarten each fall and another eleventy-million are left behind in Pre-K classrooms around the world, but this left behind boy is ours and he's sad.

There was a Pre-2 graduation ceremony yesterday afternoon for those moving to Kindergarten and I think that's when it hit him that those kids, most of whom he's known since he was four-months-old, were going someplace today that he wasn't. That manifested itself in a bedwetting incident last night--which hasn't happened in two-plus years--and extreme reluctance to go to his classroom this morning because we first had to pass by the Kindergarten classroom where some portion of those 11 friends were playing. I left him this morning sitting in his teacher's lap looking a little sad.

I then spent the day feeling a little (ok, a lot) sad.

I learned this evening that I had apparently also crushed his little heart when I failed to figure out that there was cake available after the graduation ceremonies yesterday. That came out in a tumble of sobs tonight in the drive-thru line at Wendy's when he informed me that I had made him very sad because that cake "wasn't just for the graduates" but was for "all the kids, even the ones who stay in Pre-2." Hmmm. Way to go, mom.

I know this too shall pass, but for tonight I'm certainly wishing that we could wave a wand and make him feel better about all of this. In the meantime, no one tell him that he could get anything he wants out of us this week.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

That brought tears to my eyes. Yes, you all are doing the right thing. It's great that it's vacation time and he'll have a super, fun trip to celebrate. New kids will come and he'll be playing with all of them - I so hope. Give him that extra hug for Grandma RoRo and Grandpa Butch.

Stephanie said...

Same here - big tears! Oh, if only they understood how much we ache for them. Tell him that Aunt Steph NEVER misses cake but that you missed that gene. Maybe we'll have to have some frosting in the coming week. And please don't tell him he'll be able to get almost anything from his aunt and uncle, too. Mmkay?

SStites said...

Yes, Holly missed kindergarten this year by two days, too. But I do believe they will both have an advantage in the long run--it is just a disappointment in the present moment. Won't be long until they forget all about it and enjoy being the "elders" of the class with distinct advantages all around! Hang in there and just know that in the long run it will all work out for the best! And whenever he gets to Arizona, cake it shall be--whatever kind he wants! Love, Aunt Sharon

Maria said...

Parenting is so hard! But feel assured that you made the absolute best decision for him and he probably won't remember 20 years from now. I too lost sleep last night because of a similar decision. I'm sure they are all going to turn out just fine despite our stress!

Anonymous said...

Ah Susan, I have heard about this story for awhile now, but, just now got around to reading it. This is a tear jerker. I would like to tell you that this is the only time you will feel like crying for him. Maybe it'll be along time before you will have to feel like it again. Sometimes I think we moms may feel it worse than our kids. But anyway hang in there and I know that Andrew is very lucky to have good parents and is probably on to other things. Aunt Cheryl