All's Quiet on the School Front

Abang has been fairly easygoing lately. I expected a lot more resistance to going back to kindergarten after the long holidays, but I got barely a whimper. Resistance, I suppose, is futile.

All through the long school holidays he kept talking about "no more class" which such finality that I got the impression he thought his schooling days are over. In fact, whenever we used to fetch Cuz from school on Fridays, all Abang saw at the primary school were children running around, children playing, children snacking, children chatting with friends and children generally having a good time while waiting for their transport. So his idea of 'primary school' is 'having fun'. He even told me, more than once, "When I bigger I go to primary school and I will have NO MORE CLASS."

Oh boy. It is SO the opposite extreme of having "no more class" I wouldn't even know where to begin.

So back to present day reality. I decided not to send him to kindergarten on the very first day of school because it's usually very hectic. If it was anything like last year, his principal told me that they even had a clown come in to distract the children. That would have totally put Abang off going to kindergarten, and I'm sure his reaction would have been the same as that at his school concert.

Towards the end of the holidays I did set expectations, though, about going back to kindergarten. I would play up how he'd get to see his friends again, play with them, and how he can tell his teachers what he did and where he went during the holidays, etc. On the first official day of school, I would mention to Nenek (who was wondering why he wasn't in school) that Abang "gets to start school tomorrow".

So when D-Day arrived, he fussed a bit, but I managed get him showered and in the car. When we arrived, there were 3 new teachers waiting for the children at the driveway. Abang was a bit wary, but willingly walked in with me.

"This is promising," I thought, but I still braced myself for some major fussing. While sitting on the bench taking his shoes off - very slowly, the procrastinator - I kept the conversation going with him until one of his teachers from last year came out. He was so relieved to see her, he actually replied, "Good morning, teacher," when she greeted him good morning.

He went in with her and ever since then I have not had any resistance from him about going to kindergarten. Fingers crossed!

By the way, Abang found my old sunglasses from yesteryear and this is what he looks like wearing them:

He really enjoyed wearing them until Daddy said he looked like "Aznil" (as in the Astro fella) and immediately Abang took them off, put them down and said, "Not nice. I don't like."

Ha ha!