Pinky hello's and a new beginning!

Brody at his new seat but looking a little unsure about what is going on!

Pinky hellos and still a little unsure!

Well today was a big day for us all.  Brody started at his new school.  The guilt and tears are overwhelming.  I think one of the hardest things about being a Mom is the decisions you make on your child's behalf each and every day.  You often think that you are making good choices for them by the friends you have them play with to the activities you sign them up for.  You hope that the way to you teach them and the lessons you instill in them are good ones and that they will remember them when they are in a situation that is not so positive. 

Today when I took Brody to school to meet his teacher, he was so excited.  Mrs. O is young, nice, and seems like she loves to teach.  The classroom is colorful and there was even a bathroom inside the classroom! There was a reading corner and cubbies to place backpacks and lunches.  After talking to the teacher for 20 minutes, it was time to head outside to line up and start the day.  After a calm morning, the panic set in and Brody started with all the questions..."Where do I line up?" "Where is my chair? "What do I do with my backpack?"  My heart ached thinking about him having to start all over with the rules and procedures of the classroom, let alone thinking of him making all new friends.  I walked with him outside to a line of Kindergartners who were really excited to see a new kid!  Even though the only  two kids we know are not in his class, he was so happy to see them lined up to go to their class.  Mrs. O. stopped the kids at the door and individually greeted them with a "pinky" hello (I loved this!)  I quickly grabbed my camera and began taking pictures (Sorry Brody).  I said my good bye's and left with a lump in my throat.  I walked outside to see my friend Libby and out came the tears.  She reassured me that he was going to be happy and that I had made the right decision (thanks Lib).  Since I didn't have any groceries, I wasn't able to send Brody to school with a lunch (heaven forbid we eat the cafeteria food!) I ran up to Bashas and got him some chicken tenders with ketchup, ran home to make him a napkin (this is a whole story in itself!) and headed back to school.  When I got there the Kindergartners were at morning recess.  All I could see on the playground was a group of boys following each other like a swarm of bees around the playground.  Guess who was in the middle?  The new kid...my Brody!  He immediately saw me and smiled that big goofy smile.  I motioned for him to come over but apparently that wasn't cool cause he acted as if he didn't see me.  I put his lunch and towel on his table and walked back to the playground.  Again I motioned for him to come over because I had his snack which he was supposed to be eating during recess.  He quickly ran over to me with that same goofy smile, politely said he didn't want a snack, and took off with the swarm.  An hour earlier I was loving, kind, helpful Mom, and now I'm interrupting play time at his new school!  I  couldn't be happier!  I hope the rest of his day will be a fun one and that he made lots of friends.  I hope my guilt will quickly diminish and I will feel reassured today at 3:00 that I have made the right decision for him.