First Day of School

Today is little j's first day of school. This morning we were in bed and I asked her if she was excited and she said, "No, it's scary." It almost broke my heart. She was very quiet on the drive to school, but once we arrived her teacher welcomed her and helped her unpack her backpack. As we said goodbye it was clear that she was ready for us to go.

I don't know where exactly my anxiety comes from, but I do know that my biggest fear is that she will be sad or hurt emotionally. Last night she and I talked about how every new thing that we do can be a little scary, but thinking about new things as adventures and opportunities to make new friends can help ease the transition.

Yesterday I had my first meeting with my new work colleagues, and I told little j that even though I was nervous I made three new friends and learned new things. So I told her that when I picked her up we could talk about all the new things she learned and the friends that she met. That seemed to help.

You know I'm anxious when I dream about going to kindergarten, almost missing the bus, and not having any lunch money. Ha! Maybe I was more worried than little j.