It was Livi’s first day of school on September 15th, and she did me proud! I had mixed feelings about how she was going to react with dropping her off and not being able to go in with her. Our school has a strict policy in place that requires the parent to stay in their car at drop off so a teacher can escort them into the building. I was concerned Livi would question why I was letting someone she didn’t know take her away when we’ve been teaching her not to go with strangers since she was in utero. Okay, maybe not for that long, but close. Being that Livi was chosen off a wait list at the last minute, we missed the open house where we would have had the opportunity to meet the faculty and staff. With that said, I set up a meeting with her teacher so Livi and I could meet her in advance. Not only did this make Livi and I feel more comfortable about the first day of school, but her teacher was no longer a stranger.
FIRST DAY OF PRESCHOOL: WHAT SHE WORE
Shirt and sweatshirt jacket courtesy of Gymboree
Navy blue canvas cargo pants courtesy of Hanna Andersson
Adorable pink ballet flats with Velcro fastener courtesy of Clarks
Convertible (2 sided) backpack by CHOOZE courtesy of Nordstrom
PREPARING HER FOR THE FIRST DAY
Two weeks in advance, I decided to talk to Livi about how I was going to be dropping her off. The conversation went something like this:
Me: “Are you excited for school to start?”
Livi: “Yeah, I can’t wait!”
Me: “You are going to have so much fun playing, learning, going outside, and meeting a lot of kids!”
Livi: “Can I paint?”
Me: “I’m sure you’ll be able to paint, but you’ll have to listen to the teacher so she can tell you when.”
Livi: “Okay, I’ll ask her, acause (she doesn’t pronounce the ‘b’) I really want to paint mommy!”
Me: “I know baby, you’ll have your chance.”
Me: “You know mommy is going to drive you to school everyday and your teacher will come to our car and take you in the school.” Excitedly, I ask “What do you think about that?” “Won’t that be fun, going into the school like a big girl?”
Livi: “Oh yeah mommy, but will you stay with me in the car until the teacher comes?”
With this being her only concern, I answered both excited and relieved with an over dramatic “Of course; what are you crazy girl?” hoping to get a smile. Instead, she replied with an over dramatic laugh and the rest is really history!
I went on to say that I’d help her out of her car seat, put on her backpack, and send her off with one of the biggest kisses in history. And that’s exactly what I did! Of course, when the day arrived to drop her off, Livi’s excitement could barely be contained. It was so refreshing! When it was her turn for the teacher to take her into the school, Livi couldn’t get out of the car quick enough. She nearly spilled out onto the pavement! The teacher and I shared a chuckle. Before she started towards the school, I heard Livi tell her teacher in great detail about the schoolbooks and pencils on her new shirt. Livi was so happy to be there that I even had to remind her for a kiss. She turned around, came running back towards me, and planted a big one on my lips. “Bye baby” I said with an accompanying wave and off she went.
Of course, I cried in my car. However, instead of sad tears I had envisioned shedding, I was pleasantly surprised to find they were happy tears. I was glad my mom was there to share the moment with me although sad that my husband had to miss it. It was bittersweet! I couldn’t believe that all the worrying I did months in advance just waiting for this moment to arrive was for nothing. I’m even happy to report, I didn’t wait in the parking lot to count the seconds she would be back in my care. I was so grateful for the pleasant turn of events and will forever remember my baby’s first day of school!
My girl did her momma proud! I don’t know how I got so lucky to be blessed with such an amazing child!
How did your child/children do on their first day without you? I’d love to hear! Feel free to leave me a comment!
If you missed my previous post, Interested in a make-up tutorial, feel free to take a gander! I’ve been thinking of starting a beauty blog or YouTube channel and would love to know if you have interest in this topic. Also, if you have a second, go ahead and vote on my poll (right under my blog header in the sidebar). I look forward to viewing the results!
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