I am filled with joyful excitement and nervous horror all at once about the impending summer hols. The smallest one finished nursery two weeks ago and asks me daily when he can start big boys’ nursery school. In six weeks, I say. Who knows if that means anything to him whatsoever? If it did it would seem like an age, I’m sure. I know it will fly by but even to me it’s a little daunting. Six weeks of waking every morning and wondering what I can do that day to get them away from screens for a few hours.
But before it begins Son No. I will come to the end of his time at primary school. How did that happen? When did it happen? It has just sped by so fast.
I remember him starting nursery at the same big boys’ school No 3 can’t wait to get into when he was 4. They are very different boys. No 1 was born pretty much attached to my breasts. “That will hurt if you let him keep doing it,” I was told by the midwife in hospital. I didn’t care. He seemed to need it. And when he started nursery he was attached to my legs. Tearing us apart in nursery seemed like the cruelest thing in the world and he would wail and flail about as the very patient teacher prised him off me. As I walked away there would be tears streaming down my face. Apparently on his second day there, he just stood at the gate the whole time waiting for me. First children are so different to third, that’s for sure. Son No 3 adjusted straight away when he started at the little kindergarden round the corner in preparation for big boys’ nursery and is more than ready to get on with it.
No 1 though took forever to adjust. But of course, he did and although he remembers very clearly standing at that gate all day he now barely says goodbye when we part at the gate. And heaven forbid I should try to hug or kiss him. I wasn’t even allowed to greet him properly when he came back from the week long school trip he recently went on. Par for the course, I guess.
I think I need to really appreciate this summer with Son No 1 though because once he starts secondary school, I am told it will race by even more quickly. I’m glad I ignored that midwife – it did hurt but he’s Mister Independent now and it was such a short time, in the grand scheme of things, when he really needed that connection.
So, anyway my blogs might be a little haphazard and irregular over the next six weeks is what I think I’m saying. You never know, there may be another tomorrow… who knows how it will all pan out. I’ve got some exciting work things coming up and there will be plenty of kiddie photographing opportunities. I might even manage a joint selfie with Son No 1 hugging me at some point. Overly hopeful? You just never know…
Let’s hope the sun does it’s thing as often as possible – by that I mean shines through because this grey week has been most disappointing!
Happy summer hols everyone!
Image (c)sarahjanefield 2015
Sarah Furniss Photography 