Kid Time

physical

The first two to three months were a huge adjustment for her. I thought since she was already going to preschool/daycare four-and-a-half days, it really would not be that different. Boy, was I wrong! I had been warned by a few mom friends that she would be exhausted, which might show up in her behavior through bed wetting, tears, outbursts, etc. I greatly appreciated the heads-up and figured it would last two to three weeks. To be honest, it lasted for about three months (and still reared its head occasionally through May). Empathy is not my strongest suit, but I tried to remember how new this all was to her, how much she was learning each day, and how hard her little body and brain were working! She was also super hungry at night!

Physically she also grew a ton in her strength (and bravery) at the playground, specifically the monkey bars, which she says was her favorite part of kindergarten! We were shocked one night at the park at how far she had come. I guess 180 days of practice will add up! She loves going back to her school playground in the evenings to play when there are not a hundred other kids there

social

I didn't see it coming, but Rooney also started to establish her own social life with play dates with new friends where I am not present. She made a new friend on the bus and they liked to plan spontaneous play dates almost daily. And once spring rolled around, there was an abundance of birthday parties where all the kids in her class were invited. It seemed like everyone had spring birthdays!

Probably the most unexpected thing we dealt with was her best friend moving away over Christmas break. Rooney started the year not knowing anyone in her class, and became fast friends with a sweet little girl. She would come home from school and basically only talk about this one friend. Sadly, after a few months she had to say goodbye to her best friend as she moved a couple hours away. It was really heartbreaking! She still talks about her weekly.

mental

Rooney grew a ton in her education, of course. Learning to read, spelling by sounding out words, learning new songs ... she loves schoolwork so she was never sad about having to go to school.

HEALTH

Kindergarten also meant being exposed to new germs. Before kindergarten, Rooney had never been on an antibiotic. This past winter was brutal — she had strep throat twice, a double ear infection, influenza B, the stomach bug, etc. March was a rough month!