It was a stifling hot day in the elementary school library. We were one of the first to arrive. I felt cool and confident…this was what was supposed to happen. You send them to kindergarten. But I wasn’t prepared for kindergarten orientation like I thought I was. They just announced that they were going from half day to a full day kindergarten. I was very happy because it would be easier for me with my work schedule and my other son’s preschool schedule. But as I sat in that library and more and more parents started to pile in, and the heat had risen, and the claustrophobia started to kick in I started to panic. The school didn’t have answers to our questions. They weren’t prepared to prepare us for this new journey. They still didn’t have a classroom for these full-day kindergarten students. They’re new to this too. They did have a curriculum set in place, but that was about it. The Principle asked if we had questions, “YES”, but I forgot what those questions were. One mother asked if there would be nap time…are you serious! I had important questions. School supply list? Bus schedule? Student pick-up location? But at the moment I couldn’t think. I just wanted out of there.

My husband and I left orientation with a chest full of anxiety. Our first little boy will be with strangers all day long. We did not recognize a single person in the sauna of a library. School starts in two weeks and all we have received is the name of his teacher and his room number. I’m not sure I’m ready for this. Sending him out into the unknown.