Same Time, Last Year

A year ago, it was Zane's first day of Pre-K at a new school.  St. Monica's had a Pre-K program, and we felt that he wasn't being challenged at his daycare.  So we enrolled him, and paid the fees and the tuition, and we bought the bajillions of school supplies that the school required.

The first day of school arrived, and my son was having none of that.  He had decided that he did not want to go to school. 

"Next year," he told his mother and father.  My husband and I tried to be reasonable.  We explained about how much fun he would have.  We explained about nonrefundable fees.  We talked about how school is technically Zane's job, and how he needed to work just as hard as his parents so he could pay for our nursing homes. 

When all of that failed, I did something that I swore I would never do as a parent.  I am ashamed to say that I bribed my child, right there in front of the statue of the Virgin Mary.  I told my only child that if he smiled and tried to have a good day, I would bring him a SUPER SECRET SURPRISE when we picked him up. I felt guilty for about five seconds. It worked; the boy perked right up and had a great first day of school, and there was a Lego set waiting for him when he got home. 

This year, Zane will be starting Kindergarten.  Kindergarten.  Zane will have to wear a uniform--a white(!!!) shirt with blue shorts and black shoes(Catholics are not known for their fashion sense--I would have gone with a brown shoe, myself).  For a boy used to wearing brightly colored soccer jerseys every day, this will be a monumental change.  Kindergarten will be an all day event this year. Zane is used to having his afternoons off, where he gets to color and play to his heart's content.  This new schedule may throw him, at first.  Zane may also have issues with some of the new rules and responsibilities of Kindergarten, depending on how strict his teacher is. My son is a high-energy child, and some days it may be impossible for him to stay seated at his table. I may get a phone call or two. 

Luckily, I have a new job that is much closer to home, so if I need to head over there, I can.  I will actually be able to pick him up earlier than last year, and I am glad for that.  By working closer to home, I will have almost an extra hour each day to be with my son. What mother doesn't want that?


What were you blogging about a year ago?  What has changed?