The Single Mom Chronicles

Batten down the hatches and head for the hills. Make a run for it quick because the world MUST be coming to end. We’re nearly 3 weeks into the new school year and both my boys lo…..I can’t even type it because it’s seems surreal…… BOTH my boys LOVE school.

I too, fell over when I heard my youngest say this morning, “I’m so glad I get to go back to school today”. On Sunday night before going to bed, my eldest said “Mom, you’re probably never going to hear this from my mouth again, but I’m so happy it’s Monday tomorrow so I can be at school”.

For a split second, I was hurt, thinking that my kids didn’t like spending their weekend time with me, but after a bit of probing, I realized that this year was indeed different. My youngest is back in the local public school from a year stint at a specialized private school; a decision I made in order to get him caught up on some missing fundamental learning blocks. The public school, in anticipation of his arrival (and having a vivid recollection of his challenging impulsive behaviour in the past), was very pro-active in arranging his schedule for him to transition in from a small class size environment to a very busy almost 800-student school. They matched him with a teacher who’s taken the time to understand his situation so as to provide the best learning experience for him and best of all, the fact that he’s now 8 and in the middle of the age-pack (or should I dare say more mature), he seems to be able to control his behaviour better. His old friends welcomed him back with open arms and they picked up where they left off. Being accepted by the kids was a huge concern for him leading up to the first day of school so it’s heartwarming to see childrens’ ability to forgive and forget and move forward.

My older son is now in grade 6. They’re the leaders of the school as the oldest students, and with that comes a wealth of opportunity in leadership positions. Who knew that the easy-going, shy, smiling boy would sign up for everything and anything that came his way? His eyes lit up as he explained to me all the different things they could volunteer for from kindergarden helpers to office support and school ambassadors. “I’m signing up for everything because if I don’t, how do I know what I may or may not like?”. I can’t fault him for his theory, and I’m quite surprised at his enthusiasm which up until this point, was reserved solely for new x-box games.

So while I have sentenced them to some months of upcoming one-on-one tutoring (because last year’s report cards were really that bad), it hasn’t seemed to dampen their excitement about grades 3 and 6. And even though it’s early in the school year, as a parent who’s always advocating for her sons’ challenges and always viewed the public school system as reactive as opposed to pro-active, I too am in love. Thank you current teachers and leaders of the local public school for igniting a spark I haven’t seen in a long long time. I wish you continued success over the next 9 months as I get accustomed to my now pre-teen who advises me of hair growth in body parts that I’m quite sure he’s too young to be talking about. And another son who celebrates, on a daily basis, his avoidance of being sent to the office.