No matter how many times I mention about
how quickly time flies as a parent, I am still compelled to rethink the subject
with every significant event in my kids’ lives.
While all of their new developments deserve
attention, some are more noteworthy than the others. One such event was my
4-year-old’s nursery farewell. Funnily though, I can’t remember being as
overwhelmed by any of my transitions as I was with my son’s academic baby
steps. Come to think of it, he would merely be moving from his nursery school
to the primary school. But, the build up to the farewell had made me emotional
a couple of times.
I was overwhelmed partly because of my
maternal instincts: where the whole journey of his little life flashed across my
mind, often getting stuck on his baby and toddler moments, somehow
irreconcilable to his present rather grown up self. My little floppy baby is
now a confident and expressive young boy, much eager to get ‘bigger’.
Partially also, in sincere thankfulness to
his key-person and the amazing staff who supported him when I was away. There
were times when he was struggling with toilet training, or bumped his head in
the playground, or just missed his mummy. But he was promptly comforted with
good advice, kind words and warm cuddles by the amazing staff at his nursery.
More than him, I think I would be remembering them with gratitude.
So, yes, time flies and it did fly quite
swiftly. From a toddler of few words, literally, to a swift-talking, kind,
gentle and confident boy, my son has seen a steep transformation in his
personality. It is a pleasure to watch him unleash the sum total of all his
nursery knowledge every now and then.
“Baby (his little brother), wait for
your turn. It is my go first.”
“Mummy, did you just shout at my little
brother? I saw you. Please say sorry and be friends. I will help you shake
hands.”
“Do you know about Concorde? It was a
big plane, very noisy and very fast. But it does not fly any more.”
“Mummy, do you know that magnets attract
metal, iron, not wood or plastic or paper?”
Our conversations have been increasingly
interesting and inquisitive with every passing term at his preschool. His
teacher has often appreciated him for taking pride in his achievements. He
doesn’t seem like much at home, but his feedback has been quite a delight.
His nursery maintains an online log of
children’s activities to enable parents to keep track of their learning. In the
run-up to the D-day, the portal was particularly busy with activities including
photo sessions with friends and teachers and preparations for the primary (big)
school. They had updated it with a ‘learning journal’, which was basically a
compressed version of the good times spent at his preschool. Going through the
document did ruffle the emotions a little bit. It meant saying goodbye to a
place where your child learned, grew, built relationships and enjoyed his time.
Parents were invited for the farewell
ceremony with invitation reading “...Please bring your tissues. We know we
will….” I was prepared to focus on the good bits and make it memorable. The
kids were all seated in the centre with parents around them. They sang their
favourite songs with actions as the parents clicked away zealously. Only the
graduation hats and gowns were missing. My son greeted me with the widest smile
and happily posed as he finished his songs. The children were given their
folders with the everyday nursery paraphernalia: name cards, lunchtime cards,
photos, etc. It is a treasure trove of another kind. And the day ended with
thank you cards, big hugs and good-byes.
My son hadn’t been talking much about
how he felt about leaving his nursery for good. He was aware of joining new
school but perhaps didn’t know he would be leaving the old one. As we left the
nursery one final time, I pressed him for more thoughts. I was rather stunned
with his response as he said, “Mummy, I don’t think I need to go to my nursery
anymore”. What more can I say son, I think you have got it!
I am hoping he settles into his new
school with equal ease. The transition process for new kids has been designed
to help them adapt well. After admissions to the primary school were confirmed,
parents were invited to a meeting with the teachers and the support staff. My
son was offered two ‘stay-and-play’ sessions, one with me around and the other
with a buddy from Year 6 of the same school. During one of the sessions, my
son’s teacher came over to comfort him as a familiar face from the nursery. This
is a usual practice followed by most nurseries. Similarly, the new primary
school teacher visited him at his nursery school to observe him at home grounds.
They would also come for a home visit to allow him to familiarize himself to
new faces. Other than that, my son has played pretend games at nursery,
dressing up in his new school’s clothes. That sounds like a lot of effort to go
into saying “hi big school”. But, I am hoping it proves to be worth it.
From his enthusiasm and current
understanding of the situation, I am hopeful he will settle in quickly. After
all, nothing beats the feeling of seeing your child come out happy from school.
