sea changes
It's official: the Kinglet is good to go for first grade in public school. We're just waiting to set up a meeting with the principal and school psychologist to get a support plan in place, and determine his first day - sometime next week, most likely.
I'm feeling a little less ... about the whole thing. As of Monday this was only a "what if". Now we're checking things off of supply lists and trying to figure out if the Kinglet needs a new backpack. We know what his teacher's name is, and how many kids are in his class. We stopped in to fill out papers and said hello to old friends. I blinked, and suddenly my life is changing again.
So there are Good Things, here. Fast is good. Feels like every single decision we've made for this kid in the last year had me waiting on some bureaucratic asshole to get back to me. This time, the bureaucrats hauled ass, and were nice to me in the process.
And aside from all the obvious that's good, or potentially good about "real" school, for him, there are things that are good for me. I'll be able to start revising my second book, and start working on my third. I'll be able to get my haircut. I'll be able to do yoga every day without someone climbing on me.
I'm thinking of these things. Not quite feeling them yet. But they're there.
In the meantime... we're taking ourselves a little vacation.
My grandmother is coming to stay with us for a week. Ninety-one years old, she's up and moving to California, to live with my uncle, and we're her last stop before she flies west. I can't remember the last time I spent this much time with her, and it may well be the last time (unless we can somehow swing a west coast vacation over the holidays).
The Kinglet adores her - perhaps more than is reasonable. What six year old is this in love with old people? Maybe he really is my grandfather reincarnated, like I joke sometimes. He worries about Nonnie. He doesn't want to see her go, but at least she won't be all alone anymore.
Anyway, this is a potentially stressful thing but yet a Very Good Thing. It will be an interesting week. I intend to slow down, think on things differently. Listen a lot. I intend to hold her hand.
So there's that.
I'm feeling a little less ... about the whole thing. As of Monday this was only a "what if". Now we're checking things off of supply lists and trying to figure out if the Kinglet needs a new backpack. We know what his teacher's name is, and how many kids are in his class. We stopped in to fill out papers and said hello to old friends. I blinked, and suddenly my life is changing again.
So there are Good Things, here. Fast is good. Feels like every single decision we've made for this kid in the last year had me waiting on some bureaucratic asshole to get back to me. This time, the bureaucrats hauled ass, and were nice to me in the process.
And aside from all the obvious that's good, or potentially good about "real" school, for him, there are things that are good for me. I'll be able to start revising my second book, and start working on my third. I'll be able to get my haircut. I'll be able to do yoga every day without someone climbing on me.
I'm thinking of these things. Not quite feeling them yet. But they're there.
In the meantime... we're taking ourselves a little vacation.
My grandmother is coming to stay with us for a week. Ninety-one years old, she's up and moving to California, to live with my uncle, and we're her last stop before she flies west. I can't remember the last time I spent this much time with her, and it may well be the last time (unless we can somehow swing a west coast vacation over the holidays).
The Kinglet adores her - perhaps more than is reasonable. What six year old is this in love with old people? Maybe he really is my grandfather reincarnated, like I joke sometimes. He worries about Nonnie. He doesn't want to see her go, but at least she won't be all alone anymore.
Anyway, this is a potentially stressful thing but yet a Very Good Thing. It will be an interesting week. I intend to slow down, think on things differently. Listen a lot. I intend to hold her hand.
So there's that.