First day of school

Today I took Sebastian back to school in-person. It was weird to be having the “first day of school” in late April, with only maybe two months left in the semester. (Summer school is a vague possibility at this point, but as usual, three months in advance nobody knows anything.) But he popped out of bed early this morning plenty excited, got dressed, brushed his teeth, combed his hair, gathered all his school materials and made sure his forgetful parents didn’t leave anything behind. We made good time on our walk to school, arriving early for once, and although the blustery wind made it feel much colder than the mid-50s it would reach by afternoon, it was a beautiful bright day out with clear skies.

While we waited to be let in, I perused the school breakfast and lunch menus (no better than PS42 was, unfortunately), and Sebastian read the “Welcome to PS124” sign. He noted that he didn’t recognize any of the other kids waiting in line. Still, he seemed pretty chipper right up until they started letting his classmates in, separating them from their parents. Now, in my head I had this idea that I was going to go in with him, meet his teacher, and help him get settled like I always used to in Pre-K. I had planned on getting home a little late, as I figured he might need a little extra support this first time. And indeed, by the time the third kid or so had disappeared down the hallway he was turning to me with…