Big School

Last week my husband and I met the staff at my daughter's school which she will be starting this September. I was sitting in the school hall, clutching a handful of papers and feeling so small amongst the other 100 parents. How will my tiny, barely 4 year old daughter  feel when she enters her new school? I felt anxious and excited at the same time, for both her and I. I can still remember the day she was born and her cry when she took her first breath and now my kitten was about to start reception. The time had crept up on us.

The school was aware of our worries, and I, like all the parents there was keen on getting my baby settled in a positive way. Amongst learning how to dress herself for PE and getting to school on time, my little one has to learn how to eat in a cafeteria amongst her class mates. She will have a choice of school lunches which would mean holding a tray and deciding what meal she would like, along with a choice of salad and dessert. It all seems like too many choices for a 4 year old and perhaps a little complicated? What if you like both the broccoli and cheese and the chicken pie? But then change your mind after seeing the fish fingers on your friend's plate? Could you skip lunch and just have dessert? Too many choices!

Now what has slightly stressed me is the readiness of my daughter and if I dwell deeper the readiness of me to let go of her. Suddenly on a very conscious level there is a deadline looming in September to make her able and ready to tackle the business of school. And what I find most difficult is her eating her meal. She is very good at finishing her plate and has a good appetite but she can, if left to her own devices, take over an hour. How will she be able to eat her meal at lunch time? I can just imagine her socialising and then remaining hungry for the rest of the afternoon! I know it's typical of a mom to worry about this and I guess I will be worrying about other things she will have to cope with (without mommy there to give her a helping hand) but I guess that's the whole point of school? It's about her falling down and getting up, dusting herself off and giving it another go. We do have a few more months (thank god!) before she starts and much growing up for both mommy and her to do.