First Day of School Jitters? Yeah, Right

Whatever happened to the first day of school jitters? Our boys slept like logs the night before they went back to school, and had no butterflies in their bellies the morning of. They seemed properly excited and handled everything with grace and dignity. In fact, they were “cool as cucumbers.” This is very different from how I remember the first day of school.

I think a lot of the self-assuredness had to do with their preparedness. Our new school district had an open house the Friday before school started, which allowed the kids to see their classrooms and meet their teachers. I think that made a big difference. Just knowing what to expect took away a lot of the anxiety. Oh how I wish they did that sort of thing when I was a little girl! Fortunately, my first day of school butterflies were the result of excitement, not trepidation. Even so, they were unsettling. I would much rather have known what was coming.

My boys were so cool, calm and collected that they rode the bus the very first day of school and every day since. No whining. No clinging. No dawdling (well, almost no dawdling, but that’s another story). Of course, it helps to have a brother to sit with and look out for you. What lucky boys. They’re off to a good start for this school year. I just hope our family can handle any bumps in the road with the same poise our boys exhibited on their first day at a new school.