I knew the day would come…the day Jackson, Olivia and Levi head off to school for the very first time and it went exactly how I imagined it would go!
We have already made it through the first week of school and now that we have started the second week, I wanted to look back at the first week and their first day.
Overall the week went pretty well. Drop offs were hard, that was to be expected, but the rest of the time was pretty awesome and we even managed to make it to school on time every day. That in and of itself was a big deal because flash back to two years ago when Emily started school, I was that crazy mom running through the school yard, pushing the enormous quad stroller, with at least one crying kid and sweating profusely. Now I’m just a mom, maybe still crazy, running, trying to herd her four crazy kids into their class line.
But let’s focus on the very first day!
Although we did make it to school on time, I still felt like we were rushing because I wanted to get there with plenty of time to spare and to give us the chance to calmly ease into school and the first day. I was running around getting their lunches ready, trying to find some kind of indoor shoes for them to wear and we had to take all of their first day of school pictures, including a picture beside the chalkboard with all the fun questions. Luckily Dan was able to go into work a little later, which made it a lot easier to get it all done.
Once that was done, we started our walk and everyone was smiling, wearing their backpacks, they said how excited they were to eat their lunches and it was a good walk.
Then we got to school and it was crazy! So many parents, teachers and students everywhere. Parents trying to find the class lines, kids trying to find their friends and everyone in between. We were going to drop Emily off first, but we didn’t know where her line was, so we decided to take the triplets first. We made it to their drop off area and that’s when all the fun and excitement we had on our walk to school vanished.
Jackson and Levi started freaking out and crying and would not go anywhere near the line. So we thought ok, let’s go and drop Emily off first because it’s going to take a little longer for the triplets to get in.
Jackson and Levi were ready to go, but when I told Olivia what we were doing, she said she didn’t want to leave. I knew from the beginning that Olivia was going to be easy and I was right! She didn’t want to leave her line, so I said “Ok, stay here, we will be right back,” and there she stayed in her line, already hugging another teacher and the biggest smile on her face!
On the way to Emily’s line, she saw her best friend, who was also in her class, and she was ready to go in. We gave her a big hug and kiss goodbye and she was ready to start grade 1! After two years of school, Emily knew the drill. I was worried that Emily was going to be a little nervous because I think it is a big change from kindergarten to grade 1, but she really surprised us and showed how brave she was!
Now it was time to bring Levi and Jackson back and to see Olivia go in. Before we made it back, we saw the other parents walking past and they told us the class had already gone in, including Olivia! Then we look over and see Olivia already in the classroom, standing at the window waving to us! It made me laugh because here I was upset we didn’t make it back in time, but to Olivia she didn’t even notice and was already settled in.
So now that we have 2/4 kids in the school, it was time for the last two, Levi and Jackson!
I knew they were going to have a hard time and it was going to be very emotional for them because that’s how they have always been. Emily and Olivia have always been comfortable in new situations, but Jackson and Levi, not so much.
They would not let go of Dan and I, they basically had a death grip around our necks. We told them how much fun they were going to have, that they get to eat their fruit roll up in their lunch, all the new friends they were going to make and all the fun activities that they would get to do, but none of that mattered to them.
They did not want to go to school and they were determined not to. The only thing we could do was pass them to their teacher and she would carry them inside. Jackson went first and the look on his face when Dan passed him to his teacher was like someone was taking him to a dungeon and he then screamed and cried the entire way inside. It was Levi’s turn and after witnessing Jackson, you could only imagine how it went. I was holding Levi and when I went to pass him to his teacher, his grip around my neck got tighter. I had to pry his arms off me and I will never forget his look with his arms reaching out yelling “mummy” as he went into the school.
It was truly heartbreaking and Dan even said it was one of the toughest parenting moments we have had. It’s hard because you just want to protect them and stop their crying, but you also know it has to be done and they need to go to school. What made it a little easier, was knowing how much fun they were and are going to have. Even though Emily wasn’t as challenging when going to school for the first time, she still cried every day for the first two weeks, but when I picked her up from school, she would come out with the biggest smile, telling me what she did and how much fun she had. I knew Jackson and Levi were going to have the same experience and they just needed that first day to see it.
I felt like I had kept it together pretty well, but as soon as Levi went in, it hit me and I started to cry. Not just a little cry, but a full on sob and I continued to cry the whole way home. If you follow us on Instagram, you may have seen on insta-stories!
I thought about all four of them all day long and hoped they were having as much fun as I thought they were going to have. At the end of the day when I picked them up, Jackson Olivia and Levi came running to me with so much excitement, which I must say is the best feeling, and said they had the best day. Emily came running out after, with the same excitement and it made me so happy to know they all had an amazing day!
The rest of the week, played out pretty much the same way; Emily and Olivia were ready to charge into school, without looking back, while Jackson and Levi were doing everything they could to run away from me. It’s like they knew when I picked them up they wouldn’t be able to escape!
Then Friday rolled around and I witnessed such a surprise! Levi made a complete 180 and walked into school willingly, with no tears! I had to guide him a little to follow behind Olivia, but he did it and I was so proud! Even the teachers saw and were so happy for him! Jackson was still upset and didn’t want to leave me, but instead of trying to comfort him and delay the inevitable, I quickly passed him to the teacher and he went in before he had a chance to run.
The nice thing was that their teacher sent me an update saying that they had calmed down and settled in. It made me feel better knowing they were okay and the best part was after that initial start to the day, they were totally fine for the rest of the day.
Week one was a crazy one, with lots of crying, big emotions and learning new routines, but we survived and made it to week two! We are always learning, especially from experience and it’s a big adjustment not only for the kids, but for us as a family. I know Jackson, Olivia and Levi are going to love school and they are so ready for it and I know Emily is going to learn so much this year in grade 1! We will have to wait and see what week two brings us, but for now we’ll take it one day at a time!
Check back next week for an update on week two and I’m also going to share how it feels to go from being home with kids all the time, to now being home alone…what will I do with all my free time!?
Here is our vlog from the first day to check out! The kids share what they thought about their first day!
The Baby Gang 