JANE MABEL: Growing Differently..

Today was Coen's kindergarten orientation. We got to meet his teacher and spend an hour in the classroom. It's their way of helping these little ones know what to anticipate come the fall. I remember Sienna's orientation so well. She ran into the room, letting go of my hand the moment we arrived. She confidently made friends with those sitting nearby. She rarely glanced my way to check if I was still present. In fact, I am not sure she would have even noticed if I had left. That made it easy to leave her when the time came. I knew she could flourish on her own.

Today, I watched my little boy walk into the school. His leeriness was tangible. He gripped my hand tightly as we entered the classroom. Many of the other kids were already sitting around the teacher on the carpet and she waved us to come join them. He looked up at me with a little bit of panic in his eyes. I reassured him I would be with him and together we joined the others. His teacher called each child up to introduce themselves and share what their favorite food is. As child after child was called to the front he jumped on my lap and said he did not want to go up. I coaxed him off my lap and told him he could just whisper into Mrs. A's ear, although I was unsure that would be enough to convince him. To my surprise, he went up as he was called. He stated his name and his love for colorful pasta loud enough for all to hear! Once we had met all our new friends, we moved over to the tables to do some art where he colored his picture pink for Sienna. Mrs. A came to take his picture and I could see him relax a little as she bent down and greeted him with her sweet smile. I am so thankful that he has the same wonderful teacher Sienna was blessed to have as well. By the end of the hour he was sitting across the room from me listening to the story being read. He would glance back at me every now and again just to see if I was still there, but I was happy to see the progress made even in that short hour. I know, he too, will flourish on his own. It will just look a little bit different than his sister.