Ceilidh's First Day of School

Due to a staggered start, today was Ceilidh's first day of junior kindergarten. It will be a full day. I know there's lots of debates and differing opinions on full day kindergarten - waste of money or short term pain for a stronger economy is a popular theme being echoed in the media. It's even become an election issue. Parents also have concerns about his all-day kindergarten. Are these children too young for full day? Opponents will argue many of the children already spend long days in daycares, some of which will be similar to junior kindergarten. The lack of structured nap times are troubling some parents, including myself. More concerning is whether or not the children be adequately fueled throughout the day. After seeing Devlin's half-eaten lunch come home yesterday, I think these concerns are justified. He ate the Bearpaw cookies (4), 1 granola bar, a peach, half a bun and NOTHING ELSE! The strawberries were slightly mushy, the carrots remained untouched, the cheese string was now warm but unopened, as was his pepperette. He drank his juice on the way home. I adjusted the contents today to one treat (animal crackers) but kept the fruit content the same. We'll see how that works out. Ceilidh is even a fussier eater, so I'm worried about how she'll do with the food.

But I digress. This post is about Ceilidh's first day and the excitement surrounding it. She woke up with a smile, and hurried to get dressed. Our nanny braided her hair (a talent I sadly lack must rectify considering I have 2 girls) while I rushed to get ready after an early-morning run. Devlin decided the Batman shirt was much cooler than the striped shirt I picked out for him. There was much urging from Daddy to eat their breakfast but again, the excitement was interfering with hunger. We settled for a yogurt drink, and then there was mass confusion as shoes were located, backpacks put on and taken off as jackets had to be worn. Mommy forgot to pack and label the indoor shoes so she went to take care of that while Daddy looked for the camera for the first day photos. Throughout all of this, there was one person who was decidedly not happy. In fact, this little person was very, very upset and the tears started flowing. Poor Aisling. She knew something was up that didn't involve her, and she was beginning to understand that both Ceilidh and Devlin were heading off to school - without her.

This year will bring lots of changes, but none more so than for Aisling. Her playmates will be gone for the majority of the day, so this will be new territory for her.
Along with Aisling's tears, there were teary eyes from both Mommy and Daddy as we escorted her to school. Daddy was fortunate enough to witness Ceilidh's happy chat with her teacher as she showed off her backpack and the contents and her new indoor shoes. So far, so good. No calls from the school.