This morning, Connor rode the bus to school for the first time. Derek has been taking him, but he has a conference downtown this week and has to leave the house by 7:00. I told Connor I would take him, and my neighbor offered to take him, but the C man wanted to try out the bus. After a bit of a wait (I thought it came at 7:20, but it actually comes around 7:35), he loaded up like a pro. He has seriously grown up right before my eyes the past 3 weeks. I could see him standing in the aisle, and I chuckled to myself because I knew exactly why he was just standing there. See, on the way home, he always sits in row 5, and I was sure that row 5 was full and he didn’t know where to sit. He stood there until I saw the bus driver tell him he could just sit down where he was (which I found out later was row 8. Connor is obsessed with numbers and always notices them.)
Anyway, the bus pulls away, carrying a big piece of my heart with it.
Logan, Camryn, and I go about our day. Logan went to school while Camryn and I went to bible study and lunch with friends. Finally, it’s time to walk to the end of the street, where a jubilent Connor gets off the bus. He was on green today, it was art day, AND he got to be the king of the class. He was just bubbling with stories and excitement. I asked him about riding the bus in the morning, and he said he liked it and told me all about sitting on row 8.
About an hour later, we started talking about school again.
(a little info…the kindergartners who get to school before 8:00 have storytime in one of the offices instead of just being thrown in the gym with all the big kids.)
“So, Connor, do you want to ride the bus again tomorrow morning?”
“Yeah. But mommy? I just got a little bit sad this morning and cried a little bit.”
“What?? What happened??”
“Well, when I got to school, I got caught up in the herd. And when it was time to go, I just hid behind a little pole and cried a little. Then a teacher saw me and asked me who my teacher was and then she showed me to the kindergarten hallway.”
“Wait, didn’t you go to kindergarten storytime?”
“No, I just got confused and didn’t know where it was, so I just followed the herd.”
(It was cracking me up how he kept calling it “the herd”. He obviously picked that up from a teacher or something.)
“Oh, sweet boy…so you got stuck in the gym with all the big kids and when it was time to go to class, there was no one there from your class and you got scared and sad?”
“yeah. I tried not to cry but then I just had to cry a little.”
“Oh, Connor…my heart is breaking just a little bit! It makes me sad that you were sad this morning.”
“yeah, my heart had a little crack in it, too, but then when I got on the bus this afternoon, it was better.”
“That’s good, baby. Mine is still cracked just a little bit that you couldn’t find the storytime room and felt sad.”
“Here mommy. I’ll just draw you a heart and color it all in, and then your heart will be better.”
oh my heavens. sweetest thing ever!
I hate thinking about him standing in the gym, hiding, and crying because he didn’t know where to go. It’s so hard hearing about that and not being there to give him a hug and help him! I am really proud of him, though. He wants to ride the bus again tomorrow. He’s brushing it off and ready to try again, and we have several different plans in place to make sure he gets to the right place tomorrow morning. He has seriously grown up so much the past 3 weeks!
Hey Megan… I haven’t ever posted here.. I’m from the 2002 BBC board and saw your blog on there. I just wanted to say Madisyn does the exact same thing on the bus in the mornings. In the evenings, they walk out the kindergartners first, so she gets to pick the front seat. So in the mornings, she gets on and just stands there and looks why there are kids already in her seat. Finally the bus driver says, its ok just sit down.
I worry about Madisyn finding her way to in the mornings, poor baby. How can they be so grown up? :(. Big (((HUGS))) to you and Connor.
OMGoodness…that so made me cry! What a big boy!!! He handled that all so well and I love how he really thinks about how to handle things and he realized he needed a little cry! That is so good! Hugs to Connor!!
Seriously ths makes me so sad… I can’t handle this type of stuff. He is so brave to try it agian- hope the next day goes better!
(I am cracking up at “row 5 and row 8”)
As a fellow kindergarten Mom, I’m crying right alongside you. I’m glad Connor has a plan for tomorrow.
As a fellow kindergarten Mom, I’m feeling sad right alongside you. I’m glad Connor has a plan for tomorrow.
The numbers thing cracks me up. Mitch doesweird little numbers things and I roll my eyes at him and pretend that it’s annoying, but it’s so cute and endearing.
I love that he “cried a little”! That’s such a sweet way to say it, and he seems pretty brave.