I can't actually believe that my little Pip will be starting school in just a month. It always felt so far away and as if we had forever together, now it's pretty clear as his uniform hangs in his wardrobe, that we don't. I don't know if things will be delayed due to Covid, or if his start to school will be a far cry away from what we've all envisioned for the last four years, but I do know that come the end of this month, I'm going to be far more nervous than he will be. I don't think it would matter how many children you have, their first day of school is always a huge milestone, however this just feels so heightened not only because of everything we've been through this year, but because he's my last baby and still very much a baby he feels.
Patrick on the other hand thinks he is the 'biggest boy in the world' and has been ready for Foundation since he was about six months old. He has patiently waited since Noah's first day, for his own. Eagerly asking whenever we approach the gates 'How many sleeps till I go to big school?'. I know he's ready, and he knows it too. I don't have any real concerns about him starting, he has Noah there if need be, he's strong willed, resilient, he socialises well, he listens, he contributes, I know school is the best place for him now as he's probably sick of the sight of me. But if I could grab onto him for a few extra months I definitely would. He really cannot wait, but I think I can.
You would think with everything that has happened this year I'd be raring for him to run off into the playground, but it's just made us closer than ever. He was always the needier one, very much the 'baby' of the family and I think no matter what the make up ends up, if he's the last or I decide to have more, he'll still always carry that title. There isn't a five minute window in a day that he isn't commanding attention, which surprisingly isn't as exhausting as it sounds, in fact it's always a bit more worrying when he's silent. I'm not really doing him justice, because he is a super star, he's so affectionate and I know that I'm going to miss those snuggles every single day. Noah was always the typical school child who 'didn't know' what he'd done that day in school, despite me posing the question to him just five minutes after pick up in the car. But I know my wild child will come home with a plethora of tales from his day, all embellished as much as possible I am sure, but still, I can't wait to hear each and every one of them.
Overall though I'm not worried, he's so robust, even though he's soft under that tough exterior, I know he'll take everything in his stride. We speak about school every single day, I'm sure we'll have many uniform catwalks up and down the hallway before September and I know he's going to wake up full of excitement on that very first day. I'm sure once reality (and tiredness) sets in for him after the first week, we'll get a little more resistance, but I know he'll pull through and crack on with it, just like his big brother did.
I will put together a little post on ways I've tried to prepare Pip for September, not so much in terms of academia as that's so subjective to each childs ability, but 'mentally'. I think it has definitely gone a long way into helping him, as due to Covid he's missed out on the taster sessions you would normally get!
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