The transition from Kindergarten to 1st grade has been tough- and I’m not talking for my kid- I’m talking about for me.
I thought I was totally prepared. Summer homework, check. Summer reading, check. I even had all of our school supply purchased before the 1st day {Yes, I’ll take a medal AND a monument, Thank You.}…
And then he came home with a book bag twice his weight- with just one simple “homework” assignment.
“COVER BOOKS IN CLEAR CONTACT PAPER”
Contact paper? That wasn’t on “the list”! … Ok- yes, somewhere in the back of my head I knew we needed it, but I remember what a nightmare covering books was from my school days- four letter words were dropped right and left, as a grown adult struggled to get super-sticky laminate on a book ever so perfect to avoid the end of the elementary school world …. bubbles and wrinkles. The pressure for perfection as I remember it was enough to send parents into a padded room and I did not want to relive those memories.
But let me tell you something about the clear contact paper of the “millennium” my friends, it is a lot more forgiving than it was in the 80′s. And by a lot more forgiving, I mean you are lucky if it sticks. So while, bubbles and wrinkles were a non-issue for me- rummaging through my husband’s tool area for packing tape at 7am to RE-COVER- the cover, was.
Once the clear contact was on, I thought – ok, we’re well on our way for a smooth first grade experience.
Except that in 1st grade the 1st lesson they teach is a crash course in homework responsibility… a course that did not come naturally for my son (and really, should it?).
Day one, he came home with his workbooks… no homework book or folder with instructions.
{insert anxiety attack}…. I don’t want him to be the kid without his homework on the 2nd day of school! I checked his class website every 5 minutes because I am neurotic like that, until finally the teacher finally posted it at 7pm. -whew! crisis averted.
The hubby and I drill it in his head “EV.E.RY DAY bring home homeworkbook and folder, homework book and folder… EVERY… SINGLE DAY”
Day two, he got off the bus beaming… guess what he remembered? … That’s right! Homeworkbook and Folder! … What he forgot? His workbooks.
“But you just said homework book and folder” ….*sigh*
I don’t know about the kid, but I’m not sure if I’m going to survive 1st grade. Can we go back to Kindergarten please?… or just fast forward to college?
