On Sending Your Little Ones To School

Last year was the first time I had sent my kids to school (barring the five months the twins attended preschool in 2011, which doesn't really count).  As I mentally prepare for the upcoming school year (Josh went back today for some teacher training, thus back-to-school is on my mind even though we don't start until August 30th) I find I am reassuring myself with the same few thoughts:

"Give it two weeks, I swear it will start to feel normal."
My sister told me this before the school year began, and I cannot tell you how I clung to it those first few days, as I would come home, lay Carly down for her morning nap, and sit, paralyzed and sad, on the couch as she slept.  The house was too quiet without our boys, and I felt so aimless.
By the end of their first month I looked forward to the quiet in our house on Monday mornings.  I enjoyed knowing that my boys were having experiences I knew nothing about and growing in so many ways.

Take it one day at a time.
It was really easy for me to take a problem my child presented-- a math struggle; loneliness at recess-- and dive into the issue headfirst.  Suddenly I would foresee their failure on future SAT's and proms spent sitting alone at a table, watching everyone else dance... when in reality, these problems were almost always solved within a day or two, and never with any drastic amount of effort on my part.  What seemed a BIG DEAL one day would often not even be on my child's radar the next day.  Basically, my point is to "Don't let anything make you too worried or freaked out!" Some of my kids fought at recess, dealt with bullies and made bad choices.  Some of them struggled with academics and being sad or missing me.  In the end, we all came out alright, and no one is worse for the wear. I promise whatever struggles pop up, you'll get through them, too!

Make a Silly Goodbye Ritual
My twins didn't need a goodbye ritual.  They were 100% ready for friendship and freedom and school with a teacher who wasn't their mom. But my Wyatt, who was starting kindergarten, had a hard time saying goodbye.  So every morning after playing with him at pre-school-recess, we'd walk back to class singing "Pop See Ko", which always made him laugh and left him with a smile on his face. I'd end our goodbye routine with a hug saying, "I'll see you after school right here," to assure him that when school is over I will be right there to pick him up.

I wish you luck this school year.
I'm going to try NOT to:
a) Cry my eyes out that the twins are going into FOURTH GRADE
(How is this possible!?!)
or
b) Jump up and down screaming with intense joy when I wake up on August 30th. ;)

Wish me luck!