The alarm went off this morning, and I rolled over. Lanie is saddled up next to me sleeping. We're not sure when she made it in. Elijah is already awake, dressed and ready for breakfast which is to be expected. Lydia is sleeping soundly and unhappy to be woken up. But after K's attempts at humor and his Finding Nemo chant of "First day of School, First day of School" they were dressed and downstairs eating breakfast before I could muster the energy to move.
It was all looking good until I noticed Lydia wasn't eating. Oh no, I recognize this. She told me she didn't want to go to school. Over and over she told me, as if she thought I would relent and say, "Sure, why not, stay home."
It was charming to see my almost 4-year-old encourage her big sister that "school will be fun, Lydia. Don't you want to see your friends?"
It took a good 5 or 10 minutes of reminding her about those first weeks of Kindergarten. She didn't smile, she rarely talked and yet by the end of the year, the shell was gone and she LOVED her teacher. That didn't seem to help. I finally got out of her that she just didn't want to go to school all day. "Why can't it be a half day?" She's always been my kid who wanted to home school, not for the all the benefits that people who actually home school do it for, but because she doesn't want to get up and go anywhere. Elijah helped out by telling her what to expect the first day. I'm not sure what she thought they would have to do - multiplication tables or give a speech or something overwhelming, but he seemed to put her at ease.
On my last ditch effort to build some thrill in the car, I asked all 3 of them (who were oddly sitting together in one row, sibling green t-shirt solidarity, I guess) what they were most excited about on their first day of school. The responses say it all.
Elijah: Finding out who my P.E. teacher is going to be.
Lanie: Just playing.
Lydia: Nothing.
Oh, Lydia, it may be a long year.
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