3 Days In...

We're only 3 days into kindergarten. It's going to be 12 LONG school years for Megan if our experience yesterday is any indication of the emotional drama in our future. I guess it shouldn't come as a surprise to me that raising school-age girls pretty much equals drama, but I really felt the weight of it yesterday afternoon.

Our day started well. Matt was home to take Megan to school, and I was left with the other four. I decided to take the younger girls to Target, and I was feeling so proud of myself. They were all amazingly well-behaved and we got everything we needed. Now, I should add that a key part of my winning strategy at the game of shopping Target with toddlers in tow is Starbucks. Not for me -- for them. Before we even start throwing unnecessary items in our shopping cart, each kid gets a little bag of coffee cake to keep them fed/entertained. And yesterday, they even had a little bottle of OJ to share.

Fast forward to picking Megan up from school. Not only am I on time -- I am early! I know, this is turning into a banner day!! The little girls were running around in the schoolyard, playing nicely, making me look like a pretty ok mom.

And then, Megan's class was released to the yard. Megan was all smiles when she saw us, and i could tell she was about ready to burst with details about her day...until she saw the OJ bottle still in Bridget's hand. And then, all hell broke loose!!!

I can't believe something as innocuous as a juice bottle ultimately had me dragging a screaming, crying Megan back to the car, all the while juggling Mary in the sling and trying to propel three other little people across the expanse of the school yard as fast as possible. Megan was...hysterical!! Just crazy. A No-talking-rationally-with-her kind of hysterical. All because she didn't have a juice as well. I did not see that one coming.

Of course, Megan was overly tired from her first real day of school, but she continued with the drama (door-slamming, tears, demanded privacy when she changed out of her uniform) until she was fast asleep at naptime.

Oy! Are we really staring down the barrel of 12 years of this multiplied by 5 girls??

Pray for us.

p.s. My secret weapon in negotiating with this crazy kindergartner? I very nonchalantly told her that I needed to go call her principal to tell her that Megan wasn't ready for kindergarten, and that she needed to go back to preschool.

I know, this was pure evil, but it worked like a charm :).



- posted from my handy-dandy iPhone, with Blogpress