It Will Be Here Before You Know It. 5 Things Every Parent should Avoid On Their Child’s First Day Of Kindergarten.
It’s inevitable. It’s going to happen no matter how hard you want to fight it. Eventually your child will be old enough for kindergarten, and you’ll have to trust leaving them in the hands of strangers up to 8 hours a day.
You can prepare yourself and your child, but truth is, when the big day gets here, you won’t remember any of the things you prepared. You’ll want to hold on to their pant legs as they drag you down the hall, ugly crying, and not wanting to let go of your baby.
I’ve been there twice, so I can tell you, without a doubt, five things you do not want to do on the first day you drop your baby off at kindergarten.
5 Things To Avoid On Your Child’s First Day Of Kindergarten
Don’t Expect To Stay All Day – You can probably walk them to class, but don’t plan on camping out in the classroom for the day. It will just create more drama and stress for the teacher, the child, and also you. Make a quiet exit once your child is involved in the hustle and bustle of classroom activities. Now, if you want wait in your car all day crying torrents of tears, that’s on you. Pickup time will come soon enough, and you can hug on your new, big kindergartener the rest of the evening.
Don’t Make a Dramatic Exit – I know you want, on some level, your child to act like they can’t live without you. It probably makes you smile inside when your kindergartener doesn’t want to leave your side. Big, dramatic exits, however will just disrupt the class. It will probably cause tears, not only for your child, but for a number of other kids going through the anxieties of separation. That’s a good way to start off on the wrong foot with the teacher. Just say your goodbyes happily, and go. You may need to remind the child that you will be right back to get them after school. Don’t make it a big deal. Just go quickly and quietly.
Don’t Openly Weep When Your Child Goes To Class – I get it. You will probably have tears. I mean, kindergarten is a huge deal. It is a right of passage from preschool to school-age kid. I cried like my heart was fracturing in two. The thing is, though, I did it behind closed doors. If your child sees you upset, they will think something is horribly wrong, and they will be upset too. Keep it light and happy in front of them. They will feed off your energy, and be less stressed and happier too.
Don’t Tell the Teacher How To Do Their Job – You may think it’s imperative to tell the teacher that your child only reads while sitting on a soft chair. Maybe you want to make sure the teacher has bigger crayons, because that’s what your kid prefers at home. It might be that your child already knows their ABCs, and you want to make sure they get in an advanced group. Just breathe. This will all work itself out. Trust the methods the teacher has in place to do their job. They have each student’s best interest at heart. Now, if two months go by, and the teacher isn’t meeting your expectation, then talk to someone about the situation. In the first few weeks of kindergarten, though, just trust the process.
Don’t Give Your Child Sugary Treats In Their Lunch To Make Them Feel Better – What happens when you give your children sugary treats at home? Sugar hyperactive high, then a sugar crash. School is not the best place to make this happen. Give them good foods that will stabilize their mood and metabolism. Save the sweet treats for home time. If you want to send a treat, how about a little sweet note tucked in their lunch letting them know you love them!
Kindergarten gets here before you know it! One day you are rocking your baby to sleep, and it seems like the very next day you are sending them off, with a backpack that’s almost as big as they are, to a real big-kid school. Just breathe! Trust the people that are there to help your children transition and learn. Save the tears for after you leave. It will all be okay. I guarantee it!
