The most exciting thing about this week is the kids have started school. From my understanding, the first day back varies on what school your kids attend but our school started on Tuesday and it was so, so normal.
It was like they had never left.
Both kids knew where to go, who their teachers were going to be and were more interested in catching up with their mates than anything else. They were so casual about the whole thing that I chucked them in after school care because there was no point waiting for them to ‘settle in’ or get used to the routine again.
They were ready to go.
This time last year Alice was just starting prep and Frank was in Grade 2 after two very disjointed covid years. I remember feeling more alert and sensitive about the situation. The kids were fine, Alice walked into school on day one and didn’t look back and Frank was straight into it. It was more me and my own experience that I was aware of on reflection.
The start of last year was the beginning of a new chapter for our family with both kids being at school. My work at the time was quiet so I was feeling quite vulnerable. I was excited for the kids, and for myself with the one drop off, but it was apparent that life was shifting into another chapter. I felt like things were changing. It's hard to explain but we’ve all had situations where you realise that things aren’t going to be the same anymore.
Most of the time these changes are slow and subtle. They ooze and swell until one day you realise that things are just different. Kids are the masters of this as they grow and change from being cute but useless little huhu grubs to being fully fledged humans with imaginations and ideas.
Sometimes these transitions are sharp and pointed. It's the exact moment when you thought, NO, I’m not going to put up with that anymore. Maybe you set a boundary that needed to be set. Maybe you needed to be brazen and bold and stand up for yourself or your family and from that point on you were different. You changed.
When I dropped the kids off at school on Tuesday morning I realised how capable they’d become and continue to be. And this didn’t mean things went smoothly. No way. Frank was really upset that he wasn’t going to have last year's teacher whom he adored. There were tears but there was also quite a pragmatic conversation about change and how even though it doesn’t feel very nice right now, we have to keep on going because ultimately change is how we grow.
I’m not really sure what my point is this week - maybe there doesn’t need to be one. Perhaps acknowledging the kids this week has made me realise how much I’ve changed in the last 12 months. Kids' growth is so obvious. It can be measured in actual centimetres and missing teeth.
When you're an adult it can be harder to see. If you’re stuck on autopilot, then sometimes you might not change for years - decades even. And even then those changes might not be welcomed ones (said from someone who got a stronger prescription from the optometrist this week).
Much like encouraging Frank to embrace his new teacher and the year ahead I think we all have the opportunity to accept and welcome change in. Especially once you realise, as I keep telling Frank, that change is the only constant we ever have. I want the kids to be excited and embrace change, this is the definition of a growth mindset. I believe that if I can instil this in their malleable mind now then imagine the incredible and fulfilling lives they lead.
