Kindergarten

Lucas won a goldfish at a pumpkin patch in October playing a ping pong ball toss game.

I know, right? No one ever wins those games!

Well, my son not only won one, he won one for his friend too.

That fish died within hours.

Ours did not.

Lucas named his new pet Chocolate.

This is a miracle fish.

After living in a circular vase for a couple of weeks, we had scare. Chocolate was on his side and very still, floated to the top of the water and then down to the bottom. We prepared Lucas for the inevitable.

We were all surprised when Chocolate survived the night. He was soon moved to a proper fish tank with a filter and now his water is changed regularly, he is fed every two to three days and his water is conditioned.

This is a miracle fish.

Lucas was his Kindergarten class Star of the Week last week and Friday was his big Family Share Day and instead of wanting to bring Charlie Pasta or his adorable little sister or even his mom, he decided he wanted to introduce his class to Chocolate.

Can you say ‘logistical nightmare’? How does one transport a fish to and from school?

The answer?

Very carefully.

I think we all know who the real star of the week this week was!

I am happy to report that although traumatized, Chocolate made it to and from school and is alive and well.

Whew!

Lucas has been in preschool or PreK since he was two years old, but Kindergarten is different.

Kindergarten is BIG time.

Our family had a lot of fun getting ready for the BIG day over the summer.

Periodically, my husband and I both checked in with him… And not once did Lucas express apprehension or nerves over a new school, having to make new friends, or what a huge milestone this was/is to his parents.

I stocked up on collared shirts a size larger than last year, crisp white socks and undies and two new pairs of sneakers. The kitchen was full of all his favorite foods; jars of peanut butter, ripe but not too ripe bananas, grapes, strawberry-flavored Go-Gurts, baby carrots and garlic humus.

I was so anxious the night before making sure we had separate labeled bags for his snack and lunch, double checking all the reuseable water bottles had matching lids and that we had a change of clothes AND shoes, a favorite blanket for rest time and that his first day clothes were laid out.

We also talked about Lucas’s goals for the upcoming school year and wrote them down so that we/he, once he accomplished #1 could revisit them from time to time. I think he is more than capable of achieving each and every one:

We are 10 days into the new school year and Lucas is as enthusiastic as he was all summer. He’s more tired at the end of the day than usual, but that’s what a five-day school week will do to a little boy who no longer naps, but he’s buzzing with new ideas and school projects.

Last week he explained sequence to me and brought home a baggie full of liquid polymers that he learned about in science class, together we created a vision writing board and he is very eager for me to plan a play dates with his new friends.

I’m proud of my boy but as a mother, it still shocks the hell of me when I think something is going to bother him or make him fearful and he demonstrates the exact opposite. I hope things continue to go so smoothly for him but I’ll be ready if we encounter any hiccups.

Miracle Fish

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