Grace has always been a little reserved. Dropping her off at kindergarten (all-day) was not easy and it took months before she stopped crying when we dropped her off at Ladybug daycare. It is with this experience in mind that we approached the first day of 1st Grade yesterday. Grace slept while Heather and I had dreams with anxiety threads in them. When Grace woke up she was very tired but also a little excited to put on that new outfit and her “Red by Marc Ecko” shoes. Breakfast with a little “Fairly Odd Parents” and we were all ready to set off to East Union. School starts at 9:20am so Grace attends “Club Care” before school care so that her Mom and Dad can hold normal jobs. We arrived at school after the 5 minute drive and proceeded to her locker so she could put her backpack and lunch away. Then back down the hall to the gymnasium/lunch room/before school care room. When we arrived to sign her in Miss Peg remembered Grace from the Kindergarten Center last year. The other girls, all in higher grades than Grace, came over to meet her and make her feel welcome. I found out later that they looked out for her on her first day, even holding hands with her so she’d feel comfortable. We then said our good-byes, got BIG hugs, and left. What a rock star! No tears in a new school. Day 2 went just as well. All of our parental anxieties were just that and she did great!