So today was that all important first day of school for my boys. I don’t know why I always get so nervous every year when this day rolls around. I guess it’s because I just want my boys to be happy….and I worry about them feeling sad, anxious, bored…and all that.

Daredevil woke up this morning with a tummy ache, spurred on by anxiety about school, I think. He went straight to the bathroom and said, “I think I have to throw up.” He didn’t then, but after he tried (and failed) to eat some cereal and drink some juice, he did. He didn’t have a fever, and had been perfectly fine the night before…so I really think it was just stress. My husband reacts the same way to extreme stress.

Anyway, we get to the school and I park the van. I open the door and Daredevil says, “I don’t think I’m going to have a very good day. I’m going to throw up.” Poor guy! I told him everything was going to be alright, he’d do fine at school. We dropped Dr.

Science off at his class…he was perfectly fine, then we went to Daredevil’s class. 

I stayed with him for a few minutes, doing some puzzles at his seat, but I knew that I needed to keep that time short if I want him to learn to handle being without me. I took out a piece of scrap paper I had in my purse and wrote, “I love you, Daredevil!

Love, Mommy” on it. I showed it to him and asked him if he knew what it said. Then I told him what I wrote, folded it up and stuck it in his pocket. I said, “If you get anxious or lonely, just think about the paper in your pocket and know that mommy loves you and is thinking of you.”

He didn’t say much about it and then I hugged him, kissed him, and left….feeling as though my heart was going to be ripped out of my chest. When I picked him up, his teacher said he did fine. Yay! Then later in the afternoon we went back to school to pick up Dr. Science (who said he had a ‘great’ day). Back in the car Daredevil took out the scrap of paper showed it to Dr. Science and said, “Look what I’ve got.” I asked him if the note helped. And he said, “Yeah, it made me happy.” *sniff* How sweet!

Of course, then he was like, “Do I have school tomorrow?” And when I said yes, he frowned and said, “Aww, man!”