A month or so after school started this year Keeley began asking if she could stay full day. At first I would tell her I'd think about it and talk to Dad and then I just never brought it up again. She became more insistent so I told her I would speak to her teacher in October at the teacher-parent conference. I really didn't want her to stay full day but I also didn't want her to be missing out on things if she really needed to be there. At our conference it was confirmed that she did not need to stay full day and that, in fact, there was not even room in the class for her to stay full day at that time. I relayed the information to Keeley and told her that when she was five and in kindergarten she could stay full day.
Every other week or so Keeley would come home and talk about all the things she couldn't do because she didn't get to stay full day. Every time I would remind her that she would get to stay full day next year when she was in kindergarten. One week after she turned 5 she said to me at dinner, "Mom, you said that when I was 5 and in kindergarten I could stay full day. I'm 5 now so can I please stay full day?" I finally consented to ask her teacher again and see if there was room available. A few days later I had not heard back from her teacher but we were at school at the Easter Egg Hunt. Keeley came and stood right next to me and said, "Mom, I think now would be a really good time to talk to Mrs. Meepe to see if I can stay full day." Man is this kid committed to what she wants! So I talked to Mrs. Meepe and there was room available Tuesday and Thursday. I told Keeley and she was so excited.
She came home and told me all the supplies she would need and it was a very frustrating to her that she could not go full day until the following week. We gathered all the supplies and she had them all packaged and her name on them, all ready to go. The morning of her first full day she discovered a little note I had written and put in her lunch box. It was a purple hear that said "I love you." She asked why I had written it and I told her that if she was sad and missed me at lunch it would remind her how much I loved her and was missing her too. Her first full day morning she decided not to wear her glasses (the doctor told her she didn't have to but she had continued to wear them until this morning.)
I dropped the girls off at carpool and the office guru getting them out of the car turned around and said, "Mom, call me if you need to." I said I would and turned around quickly so she wouldn't see me cry. Killian and I went to pick up Kayden at lunch and then came back home, missing our big sister. When we went back to pick her up at the end of the day, she got in the car and told me I had given her too many goldfish and then asked if we could snuggle when we got home. I said that I would love to snuggle. She was quiet on the way home and quickly climbed into my lap when I sat down on the couch. She gave me the longest hugs and whispered, "Mom, I missed you so much. All day I missed you so much. Then, in the afternoon, I missed you and I couldn't even get to my lunch box anymore to get my note." Sweet girl. I told her how much we'd missed her and that we could send her a tiny note to keep in her pocket the next full day. I cannot believe how big she is getting.
Update: The second full day she came out of her room dressed, with her finger holding open her pocket for her note. She got completely ready and carried her lunch box around for 30 minutes before it was finally time to leave. I think she's going to love full day.
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