Crabby Transitions

Since the birth of my daughter, I have hated the end of the summer. It means no more trips to the zoo and no more lazy PJ days and no more driveway art. Instead it becomes all about getting prepared, getting it all done and getting there on time. And I hate it.

This week I will rush to make everything perfect in my new classroom so that the year will flow by smoothly and easily, without the age old conundrum of "where did I put that?" This week, I will make my room as cozy as possible, with all the cute remembrances of Jenny to keep me constantly focused on the really important parts of my life. And this week, I will cling to every last moment of summer I possibly can while at the same time trying to help Jenny through this new transition from home to babysitter and then on to preschool too.

And I'm crabby about it all. On the one side, yes, it's exciting to start a new year with new classes and a new classroom and new . . .new . . new... But on the other hand, I just don't want to do it. I don't want to leave Jenny behind, just when things were getting good. And I'm crabby about it . . . .

As brilliant as my little girl is, I know that this part of the year is difficult for her. She's fighting the change too - a new daycare situation (a familiar face, but still a change), and a new preschool to start up in September - though she loves to learn new things and will enoy making new friends, I hope. I suppose it's what makes me a little more tolerant of her insistence upon watching Nemo while she's curled up with me on the couch with a sippie cup and her blanket.

And when she gets really crabby like I do, I guess it makes me a little more sympathetic to her situation, for I too don't want to leave summer behind.

But autumn is coming - my favorite time of the year. And for the first time, I can actually begin to share that with her - the crunch of the leaves, trick or treating, the county fair. And before I know it, Thanksgiving and Christmas and snow days and Spring Break and then her birthday and another summer.

I guess my job isn't so terrible after all. The stress of the kids and the parents and the meetings and the added duties and, and, and . . . a summer with Jenny as a reward.

So for my daughter who will still be crabby for another month as she gets used to things, I will try to make the best of the time I will get in the evenings, not dwelling on the things that I am missing out on during the work day, but instead being gloriously happy for the things I do get.