Back To School Night

Last night was a doozie! First N had "Back to school" night. We spent an hour and a half at the junior high. He practiced opening his locker, met his teachers, and purchased lunches and PE clothes. The whole experience was very overwhelming -- even for me. N will have 9 classes divided between two days -- an "A" day and a "B" day. On "A" days, he has first lunch. On "B" days he has second lunch. On Mondays, he has one less class and an early dismissal time (and different lunch schedules). So, he has the potential of 4 different schedules -- depending upon the day of the week. His beginning lunch times vary from 10:50 all the way to almost 1:00. We've already manipulated his schedule in order to get ideal beginning classes as well as good teachers. I don't think there is any way to alter things so that his lunch is more consistent. He'll just have to be good about having snacks. Today, just the 7th graders went to school. He goes to all 9 of his classes. I'm anxious to hear how the day goes.

We were 30 minutes late for his first soccer game last night. This is a low-key recreational soccer team. T and I both agreed that familiarizing N with the junior high was more important than being on time to the soccer game. N is a confident soccer player and often scoffs at his younger brother's soccer team. I've been nervous because N has only played soccer during recess for the past two years. I've been worried about his self confidence once he got onto a team with more experience soccer players. And sure enough, it was a pretty big fall.

Between the Back To School night and the soccer game, I heard a myriad of self deprecating comments. They were sprinkled and repeated throughout the night. He said, "I'm a big fat slob; Everyone is taller than I am; I feel so self-conscious; and I feel like I am relapsing." Talk about a night full of triggers! We talked with him about feeling a lot of stress and emotions. We also reassured him that we would NOT let him relapse. I can tell that it will be future moments like this that we need to worry about most.