This morning, I took Dekker to school. We walked hand in hand from the van to the school, and ran into one of his friends. We’ll call him Jeff Foxworthy, because this kid is funny, and so is Jeff Foxworthy.
Hey, Dekker!
Oh, haha, hi Jeff Foxworthy!
*opens his jacket* IIIIIIII got a bowtie!
Hahaha! That’s really funny, Jeff Foxworthy.
Interaction over. It was quick, and hilarious. Jeff Foxworthy did, in fact, have a bowtie, and was proud of it. More than I loved his hysterical fashion sense, I loved watching Dekker interact with friends. From a distance, I didn’t know which kid was greeting Dekker, but instead of Dekker’s previously normal “Uh…I’m shy,” he greeted him back. By name, too! I don’t know about you guys, but calling people by name always made me feel more vulnerable as a kid. Sometimes, even now. So I really loved seeing Dekker calling back to his friend, by name, because he was obviously comfortable. I also really love that he’s not self conscious about holding hands with me. Zero hangups with that so far, and I’ll hold that warm little hand as long as he’ll let me!
When I brought him to his classroom, he let go of my hand and took off inside. I ducked in to just make sure all was in order, and then called him back over to me. His first reaction was “I’m taking my backpack off, just a minute!” But then he ran over to me and we had a quick hug and kiss before he bolted back in to be with his friends. I love knowing that he’s happy to go to school. I told him this morning that his teacher was away for the day, so they’d have a different teacher, and he wasn’t phased in the slightest. Isn’t that great??? He has come SO FAR.
I think my favorite part of drop off is watching him run to be with the other kids, now that he does it on his own rather than cowering beside me.
My favorite part of pick up is easy. There is a group of us who wait in the hallway – parents, older siblings, etc – and the kids wait, totally bundled up, just inside the door. Usually a couple of kids try to open the door, but someone else always closes it up until the bell rings. Tidal wave!!! The hallway instantly fills with kids, kindergarteners included, who try to wade their way across the hallway. Dekker is never chomping at the bit to leave, so I hang back and wait for him to surface. He always does eventually, and breaks out into a nice big smile when he sees me. Then, he’ll do something goofy, like turn around and walk backwards to me, or something like that. When he finally gets to me – ready for the best part? – he reaches to give me a hug and just slumps on my shoulder. Arms tight around my neck, head down, all snuggled in, and he doesn’t move for a solid ten seconds. “Are you tired?” I asked him. “Ya…” is all I get back. When we do separate, he is smiling. I can always tell he had a great day, based on that hug. And that slump. I LOVE that part SO MUCH!
While I’m anticipating pick up, there is still much to be done around here, so off I go! Have a great afternoon, all!