It's a BIG Day...

Tuesday was a BIG Day at our place, 'Miss 5' started school. Now it's the tendency in our current situation to not really treat this as a BIG Day because of where we live it sort of didn't feel like 'a big deal'  and I'll tell you why.

The school 'Miss 5' is attending had 30 students.... total. She knows them all by name who their siblings are and where most of them live. This school is over our back fence.... literally. She has spent many lunch times at the fence on our side eating her lunch with the school kids including 'Miss 7' her sister. 'Miss 5' has spent one day a week at school last term in a Pre Prep program as such she knows all the teachers, aides, and staff. She knows where the toilets are, how to borrow library books, where the staff room is and I work there so she has familiar faces... essentially she is ready, so it's the tendency to think it's not such a BIG day. 

This is so different from when our 'Miss 7 ' started school. She knew 5 other students out of the 90 starting prep and the 400 in the school. She had never been to the school before, didn't know her teacher or any staff members in the entire school. I remember feeling when I dropped her off that it was a BIG day. It is interesting to look at the difference in these two experiences in very  different circumstances. It makes me wonder what and where 'Master 2's' BIG day will be. Because the circumstances are so different for these two days there is a tendency to treat them differently, but you can't and here's why....

These BIG days are the first of many in these little people's lives. First jobs, first day of high school, first overseas trip alone, having a baby, getting married, starting university or a new course, joining a band. performing on stage, starting a business, and following a lifelong dream all involve these BIG days. These days take courage, they involve anxiety, excitement, doubts, and uncertainty all rolled into one. Each of these experiences make the next BIG day a little easier.

Now I can't remember my first day at school clearly, but I remember some of my other big days and I do still get worried, anxious and very excited. I usually handle this by putting all that energy into preparation so that I have all the information I need to be ready for the BIG day. I gather from this that my parents must have made me feel secure in my anxious feelings, taught me how to prepare and gave me a soft cushion and a cuddle or an endless ear after a BIG day.... So pretty much they did it right.

So with the tendency to treat Tuesday as if it's not such a BIG day and the sudden realisation that it is a BIG day and we aren't going to pass up the opportunity to make it a BIG day (to help prepare her for the BIG day when she has the courage to follow her lifelong dream) this is what we have done.

We have prepared by - buying her new school things and letting her choose. New shoes, drink bottle, socks, and shorts have all been purchased with 'Miss 5's' assistance and labelled.

We have talked through stuff, basic scenarios and possible problems have been bought up and theoretically solved.

We have had a countdown so she knows how many days to go, this takes care of the surprise factor.

We have cooked and tried new lunch options and some even got the tick of approval.

We have her bag out and packed, uniforms ready so we have plenty of time to get photos and not be rushed on the morning.

Now for the BIG Day....just one of 'these Beautiful Days'

Miss 5 .. very excited

2 out of 3 there

Footnote: 'Miss 5' loved her BIG day,she came home excited a little crazy and was asleep early.... it may be a long short first week of school.