That Wasn't So Bad

We survived the first day of school! Hooray!

Charlotte said she wanted to have poached eggs on the first day of school. My skillet has not yet recovered from the last time I tried to poach eggs, so off to Egg'clectic we went.

This garden was too lovely to pass up for a photo on the way to school.

Charlotte was highly disappointed to discover the school dress code. The children have to wear collared shirts with no pictures or letters. A few minutes in the girls department at Kohl's left Charlotte less than inspired about her wardrobe prospects. Then she saw the black glitter pants. My Mom came through with the sequin (collared) shirt with patten leather belt.

Hugs from Josiah.

Charlotte and I got a quick picture with my parents before class. She told me last night that she was a little bit worried about meeting so many new people. Then she said, "But I was thinking about the other kids. They probably feel the same way. They are afraid to meet me."

There is Charlotte with her pink backpack waiting her turn to greet Mrs. Kremers. Can you see how many flowers the teacher is holding? And yes, that Dad is giving her an apple. I missed the BRING THE TEACHER A GIFT memo.

Charlotte and Mrs. Kremers posing for a photo on the way into class.

Our friend Margaret has been a constant support in the process of starting school. She came to watch Charlotte go through the door to her class. The school hosts a First Day of School Coffee in the morning. Margaret introduced me to 20 of her closest friends at the Coffee. The Assistant Principal came up to us and suggested I look into the HOPE group. The HOPE group is a support group for single parents. He said, "Most of the parents who come to this group are divorced or have never been married, so you might not feel its the right fit for you. I wanted you to know it is available if you are interested." So many things about this brief interaction were challenging for me. I have shed many tears about walking through the first day of school without John. It was a bittersweet day as we celebrated Charlotte and carried loss in our hearts. I guess I thought my sadness would be my own experience. I had not prepared myself for any kind of community acknowledgement of my situation. Of course this dear man didn't do anything wrong, he was only doing his job with love and concern. I did not think I would have to bite my tongue to keep back the tears during the Coffee. It caught me off guard.

And then if simply bringing up my "situation" were not enough, I was hit in the face with the cold water of being called a single parent. I know I am going this alone as a parent, but I had not thought of myself in the category of single parent. I had a great connection with the woman who runs the HOPE group. She described it as a place of support for families that have one parent. She said that her daughter has been helped by meeting other children in the school with only one parent. She said, "They have their own secret handshake in the halls and they feel part of a larger group of kids with the same kinds of struggles."

When we got home we knew we had jumped a big hurdle. This called for a spontaneous Pool Party!

Charlotte said, "Take a picture of us in our jammies for the blog. Josiah is so huggy today."

The first thing Charlotte said after school was, "That wasn't so bad." During lunch she said, "There is one thing we have to do in Kindergarten that troubles me." Oh? "Saying the Pledge of Allegiance. I do not like saying it because I do not know it." (The Pledge of Allegiance is one of the few things I have ever heard Charlotte admit she does not already know.)