First Grade

Chloe isn't the only child in the house who takes after me. Connor may not have my hair or my mouth, but he does share many of my less enviable traits like being a know-it-all and compulsive rule following. So he's got that going for him. For today's post, we'll focus on his high levels of anxiety. Fun!

Connor is totally freaked out about starting school next week. I know everyone is anxious before starting something new, but I, like my father before me, took first-day anxiety to a new level. And now it's Connor's turn. Whenever the subject of starting school comes even close to being mentioned in conversation, his eyes flood with tears. At dinner one night last week, Chip and I tried to tackle the topic head-on. We were trying to assure him that even the teacher is scared on the first day, and that soon it will feel comfortable to him, etc. And he just covered his ears and said "STOP TALKING ABOUT IT!" before dissolving into a puddle of tears. And man, do I remember those parental conversations- the ones where Mom wanted to discuss something that I was freaking out about, and I wanted to remain hidden behind my wall of denial. So I dropped the subject- he'll deal with it the way he has to, and get through it in his own way.

Yesterday I wanted him to go with me to pick out school supplies. I thought that maybe picking his own pencils, or a backpack with a cool design, would make him feel better about things. No. As soon as I mentioned a trip to Target for school supplies, he lost his freaking mind and started sobbing and yelling. "NO! NO! I don't want to go! NO!" I mean, this is Target we're talking about! The situation was serious. I tried teasing him about buying a Hanna Montana notebook if he wasn't there to help, and although I got him to laugh I did not get him to come along. When I returned home with an awesome Bakugan backpack, he almost got excited. (He gets his materialism from me as well!) But soon the thought of carrying that thing to Snowden weighed him down. By bedtime, he was in tears again.

Last summer I really struggled along with him, first as we switched to summer camp at Idlewild, and then as we started kindergarten. It was a big transition for both of us, made harder for me because I knew he was genuinely that stressed out. This year I'm doing better, though. Snowden isn't new anymore, and although the teacher and classroom will be an adjustment, I know it's no big deal. He'll be happy with it all in a few weeks- I think this coming week of anticipation will be worse than anything that could actually happen next Monday. If only I could convince Connor of that.