Time For School, a photo by here we wander on Flickr.
Today was the first day of the new school year.
Several things happened exactly as I knew they would.
With a later start time, the boys get to sleep in a little later than last school year. Our alarm was set for 7 o'clock this morning. Not one of the boys was awake yet. Not even Sawyer, who's often up long before the sun. All three, still sound asleep. All three, grudgingly being pulled from their beds.
We got them all up, to the bathroom and dressed in pretty decent time. The little guys were happy with their dry cereal and milk and Disney Channel cartoons. Connor sat down at the table for some breakfast (a Toaster Strudel and chocolate milk).
Next it was time for shoes. That's when the tears started. Connor was good about his, as usual. He likes to wear tennis shoes, and was particularly excited about his brand new school tennis shoes. The twins do not like to wear tennis shoes, preferring to wear open and airy Crocs if they have to wear shoes at all. They cried the minute their socks went on. Sawyer even managed to remove his shoes and socks a few times before we even left the house.
Once their shoes were on (and staying on), they were rewarded with some GoGurt while they finished their cartoons. Their backpacks and Xander's lunch were already prepared last night, so that was all ready. All we needed was three little boys to come into the kitchen, get their backpacks, and head out the door around 8 o'clock.
And this is what we got. (See picture above).
The twins both screamed and cried and fell down to the floor. Connor looked on with unimpressed superiority. He knew how to go to school without crying. Silly brothers.
The school is just a few minutes away. We all climbed in - Mommy and brothers in their new seating arrangement (Connor in a booster up front, the twins in boosters in the middle row). You see, in early start, parents stopped their cars and helped kids out three cars at a time, while teachers took kids and walked them into the fenced play area so they could go into school. Elementary school car line is much different - it does not stop and it is not fenced in. The teachers open the car doors, the kids exit on the passenger side, walk on the open sidewalk into school, and you're supposed to drive away. Moving the boys up closer will help me get everyone unbuckled and into backpacks before we reach the drop off point.
Today, Daddy also rode in the very back (the twins old spot) to help with the first day of drop off. That also went as expected. Connor waited for the school principal (who was helping with car line) to open his door, and he quickly went off on his way without so much as a backward glance. His brothers, not so much. They both fell down to the floor of the truck crying and protesting. With a little help from Daddy pushing, and a few of the boys teachers and aides (who will meet our truck every day) pulling, we managed to get them out while other cars went on around us. The boys protested loudly and kept falling down purposefully to the sidewalk as we were driving away, but their teachers assured us they would have a good day before we drove off.
And we kept driving.
As hard as it is to leave the boys at a new place with new people, I know this is what they need. I did not want to walk them in the first day, only to have them expect it every single day thereafter. I did not want their protest and struggle to be rewarded with me parking the truck and going inside after them (though I might have been tempted). I did not want to sit outside the school, watching to see if they made it inside with or without a struggle. I did not want to wait for them to try to escape or sit outside the school wondering if I would get a phone call sooner or later or not at all.
I wanted to believe their new teachers, that the boys would have a good day.
New places. New people. New routines. All of these things are hard for our twins. But life is hard, and sometimes you have to do things you do not want to do. It's the next step, and I am confident that they are in good and loving hands in their new school, that we have once again been blessed with a solid team to support our boys in their journey.
Was it hard to drive away? Absolutely. But it was the best thing for them. And for me. I have to let them take steps on their own, regardless of how unwilling they might be at first.
And I drove home and started the rest of my day. I took the puppy on a morning walk. I've printed off some materials to review and work on for my freelance project. And I will keep myself busy until this afternoon, when it will be time to pick up all three of my boys from their school and hear about their first day.
Eventually, I will come to appreciate the fact that I am not driving 40 miles all over town like last school year and that I have a solid day to do the things I need to do without interruptions or distractions. Eventually, I will come home and revel in the peace and quiet. But today, I will stay busy. I will keep myself from driving back to school and checking on my boys. I will let them take this next step all on their own, confident we have planned and prepared them as well as we could, and that they will find their own way, just as they always have before.