I can’t believe my son is going to be in Kindergarten next year. I’m signing him up on Monday too. He is beyond excited. Me…yea I am excited in the sense that he is excited, watching him grow and learn is exciting, but I’m freaking out on the inside as well.
He thinks he’s riding the bus. How in the hell does a mother let their 5 year old get on a GIANT school bus with no seat belts or car seats (which I know there are studies that say that it would be more dangerous to have those things) and just go off to school by themselves??? There’s no way I can do that. Not at 5. I’ll be that mom who drives behind the school bus to make sure my son gets there OK. I’m not so worried about the bus crashing as much as I am him not knowing what to do once he gets to school. Now coming home from school…that’s a whole other story. How do kids know when to get off? What if my son gets off at the wrong stop and is just wondering around aimlessly looking for me. Or worst yet, thinking I abandoned him.
With Kindergarten comes field trips. The idea of allowing someone else to to be responsible for my child outside of school property freaks me out too. So that leaves me with only a few options:
- Volunteer for EVERY field trip
- Don’t let him go
- Get over it
I know. I know. I have to just get over it. The likelihood of me being able to go on every field trip is probably slim to none. I can’t punish him for my fears. So….getting over it is my only option.
When your kids went to Kindergarten or when you send your kids to Kindergarten, did you just let them ride the bus? If so, how???
Did you have any of the same fears I have? If so, how did you get over it???
No my kids will never get to ride the bus! Not because I wont let them but becasue we live 2 blocks away from the elementary and junior high! They were sooo disappointed. I would if they could. I think it’s just learning to let go 🙂 Wait till they’re older, my son is 9 and he is planning what car he is going to buy when he is 16!!!! A corvette. Nice huh?
Stop by my blog, it’s my 100th post and I have a giveaway.
I went through all of the same fears when my son started school. I even secretly cried at home that day. Our kids are smarter than we think and the schools have plans in place with getting kids off the bus and to the right classroom. Bus drivers also know which kids get off at what stop. Here for K they won’t drop off a child at a bus stop unless a parent is present. After the first week, all your fears just melt away and you start looking forward to them heading off to school.
I was the same way with my son, 5 years ago! Now my daughter is in K, and we dont get a bus where we live, and she was so sad! I, on the other hand, was glad, because I had the same thoughts, exactly the same thoughts!
My biggest fear is dropping her off in the line and she wont know where to go, so every day, we park and walk to her class. I figure I get some exercise, and she gets practice to see where she has to walk next year, lol!
Im sure that in the next few weeks, Im going to try sending her off on her own getting to class, just to see how she does. But it makes me sad that my baby wont need me anymore, sob!
Awww. I so know what you mean! And I am just like you…I have been at every field trip so far! LOL! But, he is my only and he is just 4 years old….and if I am not working, I’m there.
The bus. That’s a toughie. Does the school provide an assistant or a monitor to ride the bus with the smaller ones? Might be worth asking about.
You sound JUST like me! I completely freaked out when my daughter started school and had to ride the bus. I came home and cried. But she loved it so I got over it. However, as far as field trips, I used to go on every one of them just so I could drive her. Then one day I didn’t go for a Brownies field trip and was later told by my daughter that she drove in a car with a mom I DID NOT know with NO carseat and NO seatbelt!!! AND the mom that was supposed to be driving her (a friend of mine) didnt even know where she was b/c the other mom took her in her car without telling her. We were both LIVID!!! So now, (sigh) I go on every single damn field trip! Oh well…they will be good memories for her at least and I’ll know she’s safe. Good luck though…I know it’s hard and scary!
My son rode the bus, but he was the last one on, and the first one off. The school was about 2 miles from our house. He did forget to get off a couple times because he was too busy blabbing with his friends. All the bus drivers had cell phones, so I just had to call the school and tell them he didn’t get off, they’d call the driver, and then they’d call me back and say “Yep, he’s still on the bus. They’ll bring him back around.” If the school district we lived in before can handle kids on busses, your son will be fine.
To find the humor in these milestones, DH don’t look at it so much as we’re losing our babies, we look at it as being one step closer to revenge – grandkids LOL.
Hi! I haven’t ever commmented but this one made me! My son is in K now, he doesn’t ride the bus. And he won’t next year either. He is 5 and I don’t want him on the bus with 10 year olds, I don’t care how long the ride is. And as for field trips, yes, I go on every single one for every single kid. (I have 3). I used to teach and I’ve seen kids get lost. It’s not happening to my kids, sorry. Call me overprotective or whatever but it only takes one minute and one overwhelmed mom who agreed to help out but got stuck with 4 kids and is only used to having to watch 1. I definitely let my kids take risks, but they are calculated risks on my part and risks that teach them lessons or teach them responsibility. And just so you know, believe me, I am not the only SAHM at K pickup. Do what feels right and you’ll be a-ok!
Amy
When mine started kindergarten I was hysterical, I mean could not breathe hysterical, he acted fine, then he got to his new seat, looked at me and said “I dont want to be alone”, I thought my heart was breaking in a million pieces, you can come visit your kids at lunch in his school, so even though it was the first day I had to go, I am shaking, crying, wondering how horrible he was doing, I see him come around the corner skipping and smiling! Skipping! I thought you little sh$$$ you put me through all this today and you are skipping and msiling, so I know how you feel but these kids adjust like nothing!