A Prayer for the Start of School

Just as children all around the country are beginning their school year, so too did my own children begin.

I offer this prayer for the beginning of the school year...

And so begins a new year....
May it be a year of learning and growth, a year of new experiences and understanding.
May they outgrow their shoes and may they not lose their jackets.
May each day bring something new and may routine guide their steps.
May their pencils be sharp and their minds even sharper.
May they revel in the joy of each new fact learned, each right answer, each small accomplishment.
May the erasers on their pencils get as much use as the tips.
May they learn that wrong answers can be just as important as right ones.
May they ask questions, lots and lots of questions, and may their teachers be patient. Very patient.
May they make friends and build relationships, and may they make lifelong connections.
May they be kind and polite and each one a mensch of the highest order.
And may this year be filled with blessings...

What are your prayers for your children as they embark on their new year of learning?

Left Behind...

Today was a hard day.

Not for my oldest. He was pretty excited to start school. First grade, it's "all that." He's really psyched for tomorrow when he gets to eat lunch at school. He's social, he's happy, he's ready for it all to get going.

Not for my middle. He was also excited to go to school. Last year, he didn't love it so much, but I think he wasn't quite old enough. This year, he's a star. And the teachers noticed how much he's grown up, how happy he was.

Not for me. I know how happy my boys are at school! I know how much fun they're having, I know how much they're learning, I know how good it is.

It was hard for Yael. This morning, she woke up a little earlier than usual, because there was all the hustle and bustle. That was the beginning of it all. Then, suddenly (well in her 18-month-old mind), the boys, including Dad, got their shoes on in a hurry and left.

What!?

She sat right down in the middle of the front hall and screamed. She followed them out the door. She cried as they drove away.

And all day, it was like that. Just not quite right for her.

Poor baby.

I've read lots of articles about how to ease your child into preschool, how to transition to the first day of school, how to make it all okay for the ones who are doing the going.

But not too much about the ones left behind. I never even thought of it. A whole morning alone with her mom...but she didn't quite see it that way.

A little bit of extra love and kisses for my baby this week.

How did your kids do on their first days of school?