Two Sides of the Window

So I've been stressing for months about my boy starting school, and what for?  NOTHING!
It was so easy I'm still reeling a little.

This morning as he was getting dressed into his uniform he said a couple of times that he didn't want to go to Prep.  And then asked why there weren't any 'school' (uniform) undies!  I explained that Prep was pretty much like kindy, just in a different place.  Then as I was taking photos of him he put on a sad face, but quickly changed it to a smiley one.  Phew!

As an added bonus, I only discovered last night that my husband had taken a PDO (paid day off) today so I felt heaps better as it would be all of us braving this new world together...and I'd have someone else to push the 2 year old up the (very steep) hill.  You see, we live about 100m from the school, but it's all up, or all down, depending on which way you're going, and there are steps at the front gate which of course is very pram un-friendly...so I'm not sure how I'll tackle it on my own tomorrow just yet.

But anyway, we all walked, I didn't have to push the pram, I could arrive looking kind of 'cool', and the Prep classrooms are air-conditioned...bonus number 2!!

We milled around nervously for about 10 minutes until the doors opened and in that time I was feeling a double dose of nervousness because as a teacher I remember exactly how it felt to be on the other side of the windows as well.

Once the doors opened and we all spilled inside, we found where to put everything, there were clear labels everywhere.  And then he spotted his best friend from kindy, and his face immediately lit up.  They sat together, played silly I-can-outdo-you boys games, and looked so at home you'd swear they'd been doing this for a year already (well, they kind of had, at kindy...just like Prep only in a different place!)

We stayed for the prayer, the whole time I had the biggest grin on my face watching my boy doing the actions to "If I Were A Butterfly".  I used to play that very same song to my own class of Year Ones, I'm not saying how many years ago (but it was A LOT).

And I think that's what saved me from tears in the end.  The classroom is like a second home to me.  And he looked like he belonged there.  Time came for goodbyes and he walked over and said, "Bye Mum, bye Dad."  And just like that it was over.  I still feel like I have shots of adrenalin running through my body.  But I am just so relieved that the morning went so well.  Just like a very happy dream.