"Big Girl" School

You know how at 2 years old, kids love the idea of being a "big girl".  It's like a promotion for them, like they are a step closer to being like Mama and Dada and doing things that they have always been forbidden to do.  

As part of prepping Jules for her big move to Pre-N in kindy, we've been telling her that soon, she'll be going to "big girl's" school.  When we brought her for evening walks and saw the little kids walking on the connector after school dismissal, we will tell her stories about how soon, it'll be her turn too.  That she'll carry her school bag, go to "big girl" school, go up the school bus and take a special magic school bus home all by herself without Mama and Dada.  My dad for one did a fabulous job in making the idea of school sound so fun for her!  

We had to make some adjustments to her nap and bed times since she now had to get up a good 1 hour earlier than her BabyPlanet days which was more flexible on the time you brought the kids in.  Now, school starts at 8.15am which means we needed to leave the house latest 8.10am. 40mins for her to snuggle in bed a little, wash up, change and drink her milk means getting her up 7.30am.  So we shifted her scheduled forward by an hour the day before school started and I think she's adjusting pretty well. 

The school allowed us to be around for the first 3 days of school, much like how they got the kids adjusted too when school started in January.  Because Jules is a year-end baby, they made provision for year end kids to start school later in March, when they were a little more ready.  I'm actually glad we took that option - for one, she didn't have to settle into the new environment amongst other crying children (which I feel is often the reason why all the kids end up crying on the first day of school) and for two, she got all the undivided attention from the teachers and principal being just one of the two new kid in school that day as opposed to January when I can imagine must have been all quite crazy for the teachers.  

Polishing up her snack of chicken porridge

Water play! 

 Well by the end of the first week, I'm glad to report like a proud Mama that Jules did real great!  She surprised me with how well she has adjusted to school and I truly can't be more proud of her.  I spent the first 2 days with her while her Dada took the 3rd day.  On the first day of school, she insisted on holding my hand during assembly and was all shy about going to the front of the assembly hall by herself when the principal introduced her and the other new girl to the rest of Pre-N and Nursery classes.  For the first half an hour in class, she also insisted I sat nearby while she sat on the floor with the rest of her little friends.  By the time playground time and snack time was over, she was comfortable enough for me to peep from outside the classroom.  After a while, at the advise of the teachers, I gradually moved away and pretty much left her by herself.  I toured the school and even went home for a bit.  By that time, I thought she did amazingly well for Day 1, although the real test was boarding the school bus all by herself for the ride home.  I was really nervous for her first ever ride on a bus by herself.  If I recall, she has only taken a bus once in her life - and that was in Sydney on our way to Taronga Zoo.  Let alone take a bus by herself! I was also afraid she'll go up the wrong bus or the bus uncle will forget to drop her off or something or the other - I told you I was nervous! As I was peeping at her from outside the church sanctuary where she was waiting to board the bus, the Principal came up to me and told me that she had told the rest of the bigger kids on the bus that they were big 'Che Ches' and had to help look after Jules.  And that on hearing the words from the Principal, all of them rush to want to hold her hand and take care of her.  It was so reassuring to hear! And so like a champ, my little girl boarded the bus, I trailed the bus from behind and within 5 minutes, she was home.  She was the 2nd kid to be dropped off.  As I picked her from the bus, she waved to her friends on the bus, then turned to be with a big smile - as if she knew she accomplished so much that day and was truly now like a 'big girl'!  It was another one of those proud Mama moments for me!  Oh and did I mention, the bus driver is the very same uncle that use to drive the little sister too when she attended the same Kindy some 18 years ago! I totally still recognise him. 

Welcome song for the 2 new friends

Time to board the magic school bus

Home!

Days 2 - 3 went by pretty much without any drama.  Day 4 came and we weren't allowed to hang around anymore.  I brought her into the assembly hall where I was to leave her.  When her teacher took her from me - she screamed murder and was crying for me.  I knew it'll makes things worst if I hung around any further so I suck in all that mummy-guilt and walked out of the hall - trying to act nonchalant to all her cries.  The teacher outside smiled at me and in her motherly and reassuring voice said "She'll be OK, don't' worry".  With that, I said a little prayer and went off to the car.  The Dada was still on leave that day so I told him to go back to school to peep a little if he could but alas, he was chased away.  Well, no news from school is good news so I'm assuming she did eventually settle down and her world was well again.  The husband reported that she was happy when she came down the bus that day so I'm guessing that means she wasn't traumatised by not having either of us with her in school that day.  

Day 5 - Friday, and the grand plan was to drop her off at the school gate without me having to come down from the car and let her teachers walk her into the chapel - like what most of the kids who arrive by car do.  So that parents don't have to park the car and cause traffic disruptions around the estate.  I was very sure she was not going to let us do that but my Dad was confident that she would cause he spent the previous night explaining to her what the drill was going to be like that morning.  He told her repeatedly that Mama was not going into school with her and that her teacher will walk her into the chapel because she was now a "big girl".  So my dad sent us to school that morning and throughout the 5 mins ride to school, we continue chanting the drill to prep her.  And what do you know, we got to the school gate, and our daughter kissed me goodbye, came down the car, held her teacher's hand and walked through the school gate with her teacher.  She didn't even turn round to peep at us again.  (Maybe she knew that would have made things worst) And just like that, in just 5 days, our little girl has proven that once again, I have underestimated her ability to be an independent little girl.  

Maybe she really is like a "big girl" now! Atta girl!!