Kindergarten Day 2

Sometimes the biggest lies aren't false facts; instead, they are really omissions.  That is what we found out on Audrey's second day of kindergarten.  When I went to get her, the teacher in the after-school program told me Audrey's teacher wanted to talk to me.  Part of me wanted to think it was to tell me how great Audrey was doing, but I couldn't fight the sinking feeling in my stomach.  She told me that Audrey had been having a tough time.  Ok, so what does that mean?  She has been refusing to listen, telling the teacher no, and throwing fits instead of following directions.  Boom...it was like a blow to the stomach.  I was shocked.  I mean, Audrey does those things from time to time at home, but it is rare.  It is usually when she's tired and under a lot of stress.  Oh, wait, that makes sense.  It's the first week of kindergarten.  Audrey hasn't been taking naps, and she is in a completely new place with people and routines she isn't familiar with.  She's tired and stressed.  Duh!

That night, she went to bed as soon as we ate and she got a bath.  She was still a bit groggy when her brother woke her up the next morning, but her day at school was better.  Today , I just assumed it would continue to get better, because that is what happens.  Right?  Wrong!  I got a voicemail around 2:30 from the administrative intern in the principal's office to tell me there had been an incident with Audrey this morning.  I went to pick her up early and talked to both that intern and Audrey's teacher to figure out what exactly an "incident" entails.  She had refused to listen, and then when she was not included in an activity because of it, she had a complete meltdown.  We're talking full-on temper tantrum with kicking, screaming, hitting and getting sent to the office for almost an hour.   So, she was in bed by 6:30 tonight.  We also set some ground rules for the consequences she can expect at home for both good and bad behavior at school.

I do realize I am putting this in writing and that Audrey will see this when she gets older.  It's part of her story though, and I am sure she'll learn from it. We are blessed that she goes to a school where her teacher and the office staff care enough to call us and meet with us and work with us to help her get through this transition.  I know that she'll get through this. She is a good kid and is just making some poor choices right now.  I also know that some day I'll laugh about it.  Right now though, we'll keep praying, keep working with her teacher, and do everything we can to make sure she gets enough sleep!