How To Ease Your Child's Anxiety About A New School

In just a couple of weeks, Princeton is off to Kindergarten! I’m at a loss for words at how fast these last five years have gone. Five years… his entire life! A lifetime in the blink of an eye. What a powerful thought!

I could linger on this thought, and be in my feelings, brooding in despair for how fast it all goes. Fortunately, I don’t have the luxury. What I have is, a precious five year-old little boy, who is sad and worried about missing all of his friends from preschool. A little boy who says “Mommy, I’m being a scardy cat about going to kindergarten”, every once in a while, when he allows himself the chance to think about his upcoming transition.

So, rather than wallow, Princeton and I decided to make our life fun and colorful. We decided to create some fun, bright and colorful, back-to-school hats and scarves. We love to wear colors in the fall!

We talked it through, what he would like for the fall semester at his new school, and we headed to our local craft store, purchased some really colorful yarn, and I got to knitting. A few false starts, as I did not get the measurements quite right, but once I got going, his fun new hat only took about a day to knit.

And mamas, I know you think “who in the world has the time to knit?” Well, I did it while the boys napped, while they played and when I was putting them down for the night. It felt good to create something with my own two hands. Something that would help my child feel comfortable and more at ease in his new surroundings.

It felt good to know that as he wears his bright and colorful hat and scarf, he will feel a little warmth and brightness made just for him, by the person who loves him most in the world. I would hope that it feels something like a hug from his mama, when he needs it most.

Princeton has been a fan of Bob Marley since he was about two years-old. Have you ever heard a two year-old sing Buffalo Soldier? It’s beyond adorable. So, when I was done knotting Princeton’s hat, we both realized how much it looks like a Rasta beanie. We cranked up some Bob Marley tunes, and danced and sang, as we rocked the new look.

Stopping from time to time, to sip on our Tampico Mango Punch, we had the best time talking about how much fun kindergarten is going to be, all the new friends Princeton is going to make, all of the fun and adventures he is going to have with his new Kindergarten class, and how much fun it will be for mommy to hear all about his amazing Kindergarten days.

So he’s loving his bright new “Rasta Hat”, and I feel more at ease, having had this sweet moment with my son.

Definitely adding this page to our Tampico Summer Scrapbook!