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Thursday, June 5, 2014

Kindergarten: Tip From An Expert

Hadley starting Kindergarten this fall is so exciting. It is also so sad. My first baby girl is getting so big. It is happening faster than I ever imagined it could. 

Hadley and me at her Hanna Fenichel "Race Day" at Fletcher Cove. 

This week Mike and I did a parenting session with Susie Walton of Indigo Village, a wonderful educator and coach for parents on positive parenting techniques. She is also the author of  Key to Personal Freedom: How Myths Affect Our Family Lives

We are having a few challenges with our crew as we do from time to time. So we set up one-on-one sessions with her so she can refresh us, motivate us and give specific tips to the specific challenges in our family circle. 

During our chat, we obviously touched on the upcoming transition to Kindergarten. She took a deep breath and said "Just don't start telling her how fun it will be. Stay neutral." She continued to explain that Kindergarten is a big change for little people and that the month of October is very busy for her. In October, she is helping parents with kids who are all of a sudden saying "I don't want to go to school." There is so much hype from parents these days about school and the transition fro kiddos to this new world is tough. Kindergarten these days is academic. It isn't all play. So it is key to not make a big deal and a ton of excitement for Kindergarten because it is bound to be tough at times.

For Hadley, this will especially be true because she is coming from a wonderful loving and very emotionally in-touch preschool, Hanna Fenichel. This little nursery school is special. It is a community on so many levels. Each classroom has a mini community with connections to the broader environment and then the parent involvement is extremely high. The school is amazing. It is a place that embraces play, exploration and is lead by the kids' interests. I am really going to miss her days here. 

Hadley's elementary school is wonderful too. But different. Very different. So I am heeding Susie's advice and going to stay very neutral about what is on the horizon. It will be wonderful and new and such a needed challenge for Hadley. Postive thoughts. xoxo 


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