Max starts school

Today was Max's first day of school.  We tried to get him to pose for some pictures, but it didn't go well (observe failed attempts below).  As Gus and Darwyn and I lined up outside the school I felt my feelings alternating between pride and concern.   I watched Max milling around with the other four-year-olds, all of them looking like their backpack was about to pull them over backwards and leave them stranded like an upside down turtle.  But in spite of being undersized Max looked so confident and excited.  He didn't show even a shadow of fear or doubt.  And I felt very proud of him.

Darwyn and Max before Max's first day of school.
Note the matching water bottles.  Darwyn, carried
hers around all morning as proof of her connection to
Max and his going to school.

"Can we go yet mom?"

Max was clearly interested in making friends.  He spotted a 3-year-old child (someones sibling) wearing a batman shirt.  To Max, this seemed reason enough to be friends.  He launched across the school yard, bared his hands like claws and roared with all his might at the child.  The kid looked terrified.  

ME: Max, you need to use your words.  Say, "Hi I'm Max, what is your name?"

Max tried this, but the kid had already decided he was worth avoiding and hid behind his mom.  Max shrugged him off and set his eye on a couple of older boys chasing each other around.  I could see him think he would like to be part of that game.  He launched out in front of the boys as they came running up and started shooting with his hands.  They ran past and he looked crest fallen.  

After this we had yet another talk about how you make friends and I couldn't help being worried that he would terrorize all his new potential friends before he had made it in to the classroom.  He nodded earnestly as he listened to my lecture and then I sent him off to line up with the other children headed to kindergarten.  

I stood beside all the other parents watching their children.  I could feel their pride and their nerves.  I shared the story of Max roaring at his fellow classmates with a nervous mother standing beside me. She laughed and said "he will get along well with my son then" and it occurred to me that perhaps Max had stumbled on the perfect technique for self-selecting his friends early.  

As I wandered away into my thoughts, the teacher got ready to take all the kids inside.  Max looked at me insistently from the line.  "Mom, you need to hug me before I go into the classroom."

ME: Of course, you aren't allowed to go in without hugging your mom first!

MAX: Yes, because I love you a lot, but I will love you less and less as I get older.  

Sigh....such prescience in a four-year-old!  He is definitely ready for school. I thought 'Go get 'em batman!  But do try to introduce yourself with something resembling the English language.'

Still, I had to fight the urge to push my way into the classroom with him (and I had to fight Darwyn to keep her from actually doing this).  I felt like I was sending him into a black box...a place I hoped was good, but knew nothing about.  The whole way home Darwyn begged to be taken back and allowed to go to kindergarten.  We told her she was still too young, but she insisted that she had just now grown older and we hadn't noticed.  I almost believed her.  That certainly seems to be what happened to Max.