Awesome First Day of First Grade

{source}

Landon started first grade today!

Last week, we bought him a special polo shirt I decided would be for his first day, but when it came to getting dressed this morning, he didn’t want to wear it.

“Why not, Love?”

“Because it has buttons!”

I just thought, here we go, I can kiss the nice picture I wanted to take of him on his first day of school goodbye. He’ll cry or be in a bad mood and it’s not going to happen.

He did cry and was getting all worked up. “I want to look awesome!”

I gave him a choice of another dressy shirt, with even more buttons, and he decided to wear the polo shirt with the bicycle after all.

I wasn’t going to give in. I’m sorry, but the first day of school is special and you dress up a bit to make a nice impression on your new teacher — that’s how I was raised. And it won’t kill him to wear a shirt he isn’t in love with.

Don sides with L on this issue because he doesn’t like to get dressed up either, and was starting to make L’s case, but I shot him a look to not make this worse. We didn’t have time to debate this much further — the bus was coming any minute.

End of discussion, today you are going to look nice, and for the rest of the year you are welcome to wear T-shirts.

Don came with us to drop L off at my girlfriend’s house down the street, and he perked up when he saw her two little daughters, his very good friends. We haven’t seen much of them all summer and really missed them.

At the end, it was all kind of rushed. Meeting the new bus driver, getting the kids on the bus. The girls went first and I was able to quickly get this shot:

I was surprised to get this smile from L after the drama just minutes before. And I missed giving him a kiss, and one extra for his hand, just in case, “The Kissing Hand”-style. More for me than him.

Before I could fix that, he was gone. Off to first grade, for the first time.

I counted my blessings that he didn’t hesitant to get on the bus, considering he was facing a whole day of unknowns. A new teacher he had never met, a new room, and new classmates. I’m glad he’s such a resilient little guy.

Seven hours later he jumped off the bus, happy. He likes his new teacher. Usually he doesn’t want to tell me much about his day, but he told me quite a few things.

About the new rules. Connor wasn’t in his class, but Kayla. And they didn’t have bagels today, just peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

And guess what I noticed on his shirt: a sticker the teacher must have given him that read: “Awesome.” He beamed.

How awesome is that.

Tagged as: Back to School, first day of first grade, first grade