Yesterday was a really nice, really special day. But as tends to happen after days that carry some emotion, some people struggle the next day. We’ll pair some emotional weight with the gloomy weather outside, and my big kids were so uninterested in going to school today :/ Poor big kids.
Dekker was a little grumpy, but not too bad. He was expecting a snow day, because of the bad forecast, so when he found out there was a change of plans, he was a little discouraged. Now, don’t get me wrong. Dekker actually really likes school! But he is very much a homebody, and a homebody who doesn’t like unexpected change. So, he wasn’t thrilled this morning, but he was ok.
Laela, on the other hand, couldn’t quite nail down her feelings. She insisted she felt sick, but ate a normal breakfast and drank milk no problem. She had a tummy ache and a headache. She was sluggish to get ready for school, and said she didn’t want to go. Yet she loves school. So I decided to tuck her back into her bed with a book and let her stay home at least for a little bit.
She surfaced after about an hour saying she felt mostly better and wanted to go play downstairs. The moment I suggested that, if she felt well, maybe she could go to school, she got so upset and her story went all over the place. It was pretty obvious to me, as her mama, that she was overwhelmed more than sick.
I held her close for a while on the recliner, and debated whether I should bring her back at lunch, or give her the day, or take her right in. I just didn’t know. I tucked her into the chair and called the school to see about schedule blocks and what was best. When I came down, I had decided to take her to school, and as soon as she heard that, she popped up and started getting the final stuff ready to go. She wasn’t upset at all. Just accepting.
I drove her to school and she was perfectly content going in. Didn’t really feel sick anymore at all.
I appreciate her school so much, for taking the time to think about the underlying issues in my children’s lives, and not just dismissing them. Knowing where behaviours come from is SO important. The kids are grieving and struggling in their own ways, and I can be confident sending them to school, that their teachers are caring for them so well, considering their extra needs, and being soft and gracious with them.
Hopefully being back in the routine of the school day helps her heart.