We all survived the first week of kindergarten. Some better than others (I’m sure you can imagine who survived what). Some highlights include the actual first day where I cried the entire day and had to wear sunglasses for drop off and pick up even though the sun didn’t consider poking its head out from behind the clouds. Emma was an obvious champ, no issue whatsoever. Her excitement to explore a new big world left her unphased and excited…until she got home from said first, second, and third days. To say she was exhausted and maybe a bit overwhelmed is in fact a BRUTAL understatement. She was a different child, angry, hungry, whiney, and pretty awful. Everything I asked of her she belted out in the loudest longest tone she possibly could her new found love for the word “NEVEEEERRRR”.  So of course, I’m still not so sure this kindergarten stuff is the right move for us.

Day 2, no tears and Maia had her first introduction to her preschool classmates. She too handled that like a champ enjoying her new found freedom to explore something all her own – not something that was her sisters.

Day 3 Emma has decided she wants to take the bus to and from school “because all of my friends take it mom”. Who can argue with the that? All of your friends? You’ve been in school 2 days kid… So here we go another milestone for this family to accomplish. Get it together Marcell, this is not going to be hard and there will be no tears. Raj and I were geared up and ready to make sure we sent Emma off on the bus for her very first time in style as a family so she isn’t scared. We head to the bus stop a solid 15 minutes early so we don’t miss anything and we wait, and wait, and wait, until we see the big yellow bus coming down the street — then we watch that big yellow bus turn itself around in horror and not pick us up. Wait what? Now, I could understand if I hadn’t actually spoken to him the day before on the way back from pick up letting him know that Emma would be taking the bus from our home today. He assured me he’d be here for pick up.  OK so let’s race to school with our awesome neighbors who spotted the entire scene unfold and picked me and Emma up to bring us. Upon arrival, Emma goes to her class and I proceed to politely scold the bus driver and tell him EMMA WILL be on the bus home after school. I then remind Emma’s TA that she will be taking the bus home tonight as she has asked to do. Then I go home do some work and wait until pick up. We now decide to strategically place ourselves at the END of OUR street instead of the actual bus stop to wait for Emma to greet her once again as a family with high-fives, glitter, cartwheels, and no tears. We wait…and wait…and then my phone rings and it’s a Wellesley number. This can’t be. Sure enough Emma is in the office at the school, their “mistake” the bus left without her. My heart is pounding, and the momma bear in me is ready to pounce. Raj knowing the scene at the school may not be a good one if I march into the office day 3 -gets in the car and races the 1 mile distance to go get our little Emma. In the meantime a good friend of ours who happens to be a teacher sends me a text that she spotted Emma and she’s totally fine having fun in the office (keep in mind I’m in sheer meltdown mode). Emma gets home and in her own little exhausted way asks to not have lunch and proceeds straight to her room to lay down. Ugh. Thank goodness it’s Friday is all I think in that very moment and my heart is a little broken. Fine by me she’ll never want to take the bus now…yeah. And she won’t want to go back to kindergarten either. Double yeah. We wait about an hour and in typical Emma fashion she marches down the stairs proclaims her need for lunch, as we sit down to eat I ask if she wants to try to take the bus on Tuesday (secretly hoping that newfound word of hers comes belting out louder than ever “neveerrrrrr”) and she very calmly says, “heck yeah I want to take the bus mommy”. And there you have it, we survived week one, onto week two, the house is still standing and so are we. Never say never.