Some days I wish I could go back to kindergarten. Life sounds so easy. You take the bus to & from school, you have a set lunch & recess time, you have toys to play with. Contrast that to adult life: work, parent, spouse, bills, kids, relationships, kindergarten sounds simple.
In a way it is simple, however in other ways it is a hard transition. For the first time in my son’s life he has to think about a schedule: bus schedule, specials schedule, daily schedule, weekend schedule, school year schedule.
Before kindergarten, I took care of all of his scheduling. Now he has to take some responsibility.
Some days are rough. Mondays can be hard. Transitioning from weekend to weekday is not easy {heck I struggle with it too}.
Recently, after a particularly tough evening we had a heart to heart. I asked him what he was having a hard time with. With tears in his eyes, he said, “I tried doing what you asked me to do, but it was too hard.” {take off his clothes & put on his PJs}
I pulled him close and empathized with him. “It’s hard being 6 and in kindergarten isn’t it?” “Yes,” he wavered.
I told him it was ok. It’s ok to have a hard time. It’s ok to fall apart. It’s ok to struggle. I told him to keep at it. I told him it will get better. I told him to be brave. I told him we’re here for him. That was all he needed, a hug, some empathy and understanding, a mom who listened.
Take a moment to understand your young ones. Take a moment to feel what they feel. You may be surprised.