I should be blogging about Annika. March 21st was her 3rd birthday. I think about blogging about her everyday. But today what I want to blog about is Nathan. As eager as I am for Emma and Anson to participate in the ALL program. I am concerned about Nathan. He doesn't do well with change.
Today Anson told me that he and Nathan eat school lunch together almost everyday. And they play at recess together, though, as Anson tells it, it's often at his inconvenience. Anson is a good brother. How will Nathan do when he doesn't have Anson to watch out for him and stick up for him?
Once my nephew, Spencer (who attends school with my kids), found out that Emma and Anson made it into the ALL program, he declared that he won't be walking home with babies. He's going to walk home everyday with his pal, Paul and NOT Nathan. (His own little sister, Charlotte, will be a 1st grader next year and despite that, he is apparently not walking home with her either.)
I try to calm myself. To figure out how I can get kids home at the same time everyday from two different schools. There are options. I could stagger the kids--having two start and end times every day. Although that is easier in some ways, it's harder in others.
I am so excited for the older kids. But then, everyone says, "Have you heard about the homework?" And my eyes widen like saucers to match theirs and I think, Am I up for this?
And I worry about Emma and the math. And I worry about Nathan some more. How do I do two back to school nights, two choir concerts, two Reflection's programs, two...? But then I realize that anyone with a child in elementary and one in junior high has the same problem. It's silly to worry. I'll do the best I can. I'll get help where I can. Wendell will get off work when he can. And we'll be OK.
It's hard to embrace the new without morning the loss of the old. My three big kids will never walk home together from school again. But their minds will be fed in a different way. All of the enrichment activities, I want to do for them, will be done at school. It takes a burden off that way.
Of course we can always quit. At any time. This isn't set in stone. It's just one year. One school year. To see how the program goes. To see what happens.
3 comments:
Jenna, I know some people whose kids go to the ALL program at Highland Elem. They also transferred their younger child there, even though he wasn't in the program, just so they could all be at the same school with the same start/end times. I wonder if that would be an option for you?
Hey Jenna, this is Allison. If you would like, maybe we should carpool the kids (Emma, Anson and Sean) to Cherry Hill Elementary. I did that with Angie a couple of years ago. I drove the kids to school in the morning and she picked them up in the afternoon and brought them home. Let me know what you think.
FWIW, this year my kindergartener and first grader were at two separate schools... two separate schedules. It was tough and honestly, I did less with my kinder than I did with my first grader. Mostly because the kinder's principal and I don't see eye to eye... We remedied the situation and was able to get them at the same school.
I think Nathan will probably do ok. It will give him a chance to come into his own and not rely on his brother. (I've had to do this with one of my kids and I hated it... still prefer them to be together, but that is my personal preference).
One thought I had was just to try and make him feel extra special- so he doesn't think he's getting left behind, or not as smart, etc. Make it out like its an exciting thing.
Oh yeah (sorry so long), I've taken it upon myself to talk to the cousins in my family and tell the mother that the 'exclusive' behavior is too hurtful for ME and to please talk to the kids and encourage them to be friends. Not that your cousin needs the talk, but in case it escalated...
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