by Kelli Bowen
The most pronounced first days of school for me as a parent were the first day of Kindergarten, the first day at the new school last year after our move, and today: the first day of another new school. This is the third school in three years.
When Hubby and I decided to make the jump from easterners, to western North Dakotans, it was a decision that was not taken lightly. It was an even bigger decision to move back east.
We settled into the hometown I was raised in, and promptly left once I graduated high school. Hubby didn’t want to send the girls to the school district our house is in, so we chose the school where I attended K-12 grade.
We went to the open house and I saw some familiar faces. There was a comfort of the known, mixed with an unfamiliar queasiness. These were the same halls. There are even some of the same staff, but things aren’t the same.
The night before school started, I lay in Miss A’s room and she said, “What if no one likes me?” I said it seems quite impossible that the three people she knows already like her, and that they’d be the only ones. She told me, “Don’t kiss me once we are out of the car tomorrow. I don’t want to be embarrassed.” I promised and said I’ll squeeze her hand twice, so only she knows. She then squeezed my hand twice and drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, we dropped the girls off at the school. I squeezed Miss A’s hand twice. Miss E indulged photos. We saw one of my best friends, who has a child in the same school. My kids ran over and gave hugs, thankful for a friendly, familiar face. Then we walked them up to their rooms, wished them well, left, and waited. About mid-afternoon I started baking cookies. Hubby came in, “How long until Miss A declares she hates the school?” I looked at him: “What do you think the cookies are for? Bribery.”
The big yellow bus pulled around the corner and I ran to the front door. I opened it in time to hear Miss A tell the bus driver cheerfully: “See you tomorrow!” Then she came running across the front yard: “Guess what mom?!? I made TWO new friends!!”
Later that night, Miss E told us of how she had gotten confused and a teacher pointed her in the right direction and she saw a friend’s mom, who works at the school, twice. There was a substitute teacher who knew me (her son and I graduated together). Then Miss E told me the librarian said to tell me “Hello.” I asked how they knew who I was? Miss E confirmed she told one of the teachers my maiden name but the other guessed because Miss E looks like me. I asked what it’s like to be in a place with so many people who know you already and want to help? She confirmed it’s pretty nice.
So we survived the first day. I found out everyone who is nice, those who weren’t super nice but might have just been excited to be around their friends, and both girls think the multi-level school is kind of neat/kind of weird. I will sleep well tonight knowing that the day went about as well as I could have hoped in this third (maybe final?) school in three years.
Kelli, a North Dakota girl through and through, has made her home from the eastern prairies to the western badlands with her supportive Hubby, two daughters, and ever-growing menagerie accompanying her along the way.