Thursday 8 October 2015

The first month of school

school days
Tired out after a full day at school
September was a month of big steps, and we kicked it off with Leo starting school. At just turned Four he is one of the youngest in the year, and I can see the differences. In so many ways Leo is still so young, so innocent, still so dependent upon me. 

While the other children run around the play ground in a morning, Leo would rather spend those last few minutes sat with me before the bell rings. I asked him today if he would like to go off and play with his friends and he just snuggled into me a little more declining the invitation. There we sat cuddled up together on a bench until the bell sounded out calling all the children into their prospective class rooms. I am enjoying these moments while they last, because I can only imagine how long it will be before he his banishing me from even entering the playground...Calling me un-cool and just generally stripping his title of 'Mummy's boy' in front of his peers. 

The first month of school has seen Leo go from half days and straight into full days, he has been so very tired and the bed time routine has began to commence at 6:30pm, so that he can be in bed and going to sleep for 7pm. It has been an essential change to our lives as when Leo comes out of school, you are never sure what mood he will be in. If it has been a particularly tiring day for him or he has been presented with Broccoli for lunch, then his mood is either mud when he rocks out of school, or very quickly turns to mud and aids the anticipated melt down that can only be described as fireworks of the finest quality. Last week I was planning on treating Leo to a Costa before heading home, we pulled up in the car park and out of nowhere the biggest temper tantrum commenced. I gave him 3 opportunities to bring his behavior back into line, and when none of those chances were actioned, I strapped him back into the car and drove with a screaming, shouting, angry, hysterical 4 year old all the way back home again.

I don't think I had mentally prepared myself for how tiring Leo would find school, or the moods that go hand in hand. It has been a big adjustment for both of us, and he often asks me why he needs to go to school, and he was horrified to learn that it's all in preparation for one day getting his very own job. I guess when you look at it like that, it is actually quite a depressing thing. We cart our children off to school when they are tiny, we teach them and guide them, only for them to leave school and be thrown straight into the world of work...

Leo does seem to be adjusting to this big change to his routine though, taking him into school in a morning has become so much easier. No longer do I have to hold his hand right up until the teacher welcomes him in, no longer does he cry and pine for me. He just walks straight inside and shouts 'Bye Mumma!' before disappearing through the door. 

We have been doing bits and pieces at home to help bring him along, as his teacher talked to me about how Leo was just not getting patterns. So instead of the coloured blocks they were using with him at school, we used trains and created coloured patterns with Thomas and Percy. This seemed to do the trick, and although we need to keep persisting with it all, he has a much better understanding than he did before.

He is recognising more letters when we are out and about, he is talking to me about the letters, telling me what sound they make. So far we have had 'S' 'M' and 'L'. We are reading the books that school send home, and I am enjoying the new stories each night, because up until school commenced, Leo had me reaing his Thomas the Tank collection over, and over, and over again. 

We are fast approaching the October half term, and it is going to be nice to have him at home and get some fun activities booked in for us to take part in. To give him a well deserved break from school, to let him catch his breath and just have a fun relaxed week at home with his Mumma.

It really is suffice to say that I am immensely proud of him, and this next chapter of our lives is definitely an exciting one. 

I just hope that he loves reading and words as much as I do, it would be such a beautiful thing to be able to share with him. One day I want to get all of those special posts that I have shared here on this blog bound into a book for him, it would make such a special bed time read together.

School Days
Wearing Mummy's Hoodie



22 comments:

  1. My daughter is finding the transition tiring too. I do think they start too young but that's probably me being in denial that they can cope with it! Leo sounds like a wonderful bright boy.

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    1. It's all so new, I am sure they will get there xx

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  2. good to hear he is settling into school - i remember mine being so tired they didn't know where to put themselves. it is touch as they are still so little! x

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    1. That's exactly it! I am sure they will get there x

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  3. Aaaw bless him. It's so difficult for them to settle in sometimes, especially when they're at the younger end of the age range but it sounds like he's doing brilliantly x x

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  4. It is really hard when they are at the younger end. Mini was and He wanted to spend his time with me. Don;t worry that gap closes the older they get. A year at four is a quarter of his life! Regarding patterns etc. Just play with him. I wouldnt be concerned at this age at all

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    1. Thank you Jen. I know he will get there. he's a lot like I was and I turned out alright in the end :D

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  5. He is so sweet. I think they find it super tiring at first don't they, especially when they are that little bit younger. I hope you have a fun and restful half term! :)

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  6. Oh bless him that is so cute - good to hear he is settling in well though. x

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  7. I think the half term is always much needed, especially for those just starting.

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    1. He's more than ready for a break! Going to make it as fun as possible for him!

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  8. We are struggling with tiredness here too and Eliza morphs into a banshee by 4.30pm after a full day at school. I think she will be ready for the break by half term

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    1. It's very tiring for them isn't it! Bring on half term x

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  9. Oh, I do feel for him and all the little ones who start when they are so young! Emma was nearly 5 when she started but we did have our fair share of tantrums and meltdowns too last year. She is much more settled this year, I suppose because she knew what to expect...etc. Hope the half term will give him(and you!) that much needed break to recoup and relax.xx

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    1. I do wish that he was a little older when he started but I guess it will level out as the school year goes on x

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  10. Ah such a lovely post and you are so right, they will be a great read to look back on and remember these special moments as they become memories

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  11. aww this sounds like our little guy, he was very tearful for the first few weeks and the tiredness was dreadful it made him like jackal and hyde lol.. hope he settles more lovely :-)

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    1. I am sure they will get there, thanks Jaime xx

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  12. It's so hard for them, and they all take it in different ways. Apart from N going on about kids kicking him (including his best friend) and accusing people of things when it's probably an accident, he's loving it. It's only Friday when he's really tired, but then he's been used to being at nursery pretty much full time 8-5.30, so it's less of a transition. It's so weird when we think how long they're going to be in school for overall.

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