Back to School!

First grade class assignments went out this summer and the frenzy that ensued brought me right back to the early days where we knew no one, and Connecticut felt like a foreign land. Seeing messages on the Facebook page about who was in class with who, and which moms already knew each other felt overwhelming. We have come so far, made so many amazing friends, had such a wonderful year, yet the sight of the start of the year chaos brings an onslaught of those familiar feelings, as if we're back in middle school ourselves, holding a lunch tray and desperately panning the room for an empty seat next to an inviting soul.


As I've mentioned before, my (almost) 1st grader is not a team sports kind of kid. Legos, trains, used book shops, and antique stores (yup, that's right- antiques) these are more his jam. The whole wearing of a uniform, 'winner' and by default 'loser' associated with most organized sports are just not his speed. I wont force participation in something that's supposed to be 'fun', even though it often means we are declining the 'see you at the game?' or 'is he doing soccer? t-ball? [insert kids' sports]' this season?

So lets all remind our littles that as they embark on this next year of their journey, we are right there with them, empathetic to their struggles and proud of their courage. I definitely vote for kind over gifted, inclusive over exclusive, and effort over results.