Back to School!
Today is back to school for our district, which leaves me sad and happy all at the same time! You see, my oldest started her first day of middle school. I honestly think I was more nervous than she was considering she insisted she walk to class on her own and just have me drop her off, which makes the first school year ever that I didn't walk her to class and make sure she was settled in. Yes, I was teary eyed and emotional. So, I sit here now wondering how she is doing, and if she is settling in to her new school okay. And the Mom in me is going over every single scenario in my head about what is going on in her day. I remember middle school, sometimes the kids can be a little meaner if you don't fit into their crowd, and they can be very critical at times also. One thing about my oldest is that she sees the best in everyone, she is friends with most kids she comes across, this has sometimes not been in her best interest, because even though some of those kids were not so nice to her, she chooses to see the good and not the bad, so she has gotten her feelings hurt more than once, she's been on the receiving end of bullying, and has had to accept that sometimes she has to just walk away from a friendship she is trying to build because it is just not worth it for her to continue getting her feelings hurt.
Sitting here thinking about all of this makes me wonder if I made the right choice in the school she is attending. We chose an Arts School, rather than our zoned school, for Elementary, so of course we would choose to forgo our zoned school for middle as well, and choose another Arts School, to continue her education. But I can't help but wonder, What if? I think we as parents really beat ourselves up about the choices we make for our kids, even though they are the right choices, and they work for our family. I can't even count how many times someone has asked me, "why don't you just put your kids in the school they're zoned for, it's so much easier?" And my response to that is that, I don't want easy, I want to make sure they are getting the education and structure that suits them, because one school does not fit all, and not all schools offer the same opportunities and electives. I don't want to look back and think, well, they could have had this opportunity, but it was just easier for me not to. Not saying that zoned schools are bad, by any means, they also have a lot to offer, it was just not right for my family in the zone that we live in.
Anyway, getting back to the first day of school, my little one settled in just fine, she's still in her Elementary bubble where everything is familiar and she knows just about all of the kids, so I know that she is having a great first day back!
So, on that note, I hope everyone's kiddos are having a great start to the new school year! Try not to beat yourselves up about all of the details, I am definitely trying not to do that myself!
Sitting here thinking about all of this makes me wonder if I made the right choice in the school she is attending. We chose an Arts School, rather than our zoned school, for Elementary, so of course we would choose to forgo our zoned school for middle as well, and choose another Arts School, to continue her education. But I can't help but wonder, What if? I think we as parents really beat ourselves up about the choices we make for our kids, even though they are the right choices, and they work for our family. I can't even count how many times someone has asked me, "why don't you just put your kids in the school they're zoned for, it's so much easier?" And my response to that is that, I don't want easy, I want to make sure they are getting the education and structure that suits them, because one school does not fit all, and not all schools offer the same opportunities and electives. I don't want to look back and think, well, they could have had this opportunity, but it was just easier for me not to. Not saying that zoned schools are bad, by any means, they also have a lot to offer, it was just not right for my family in the zone that we live in.
Anyway, getting back to the first day of school, my little one settled in just fine, she's still in her Elementary bubble where everything is familiar and she knows just about all of the kids, so I know that she is having a great first day back!
So, on that note, I hope everyone's kiddos are having a great start to the new school year! Try not to beat yourselves up about all of the details, I am definitely trying not to do that myself!
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