Families For Life | Riding The Emotional Rollercoaster Of Primary One

Words like “Primary One”, “first day of school” and “transition” somewhat have the uncanny ability to set off both the parents and their pre-school kids into a frenzy, and to turn especially the parents into a bundle of nerves.
 
Here are some light-hearted but real takes on the rollercoaster of emotions that almost every first-time parent of a Primary One child faces on the first day of school… 

• Rrrrrinnnng! Your body isn’t quite used to the sound of the alarm going off at 5am. So, press the snooze please. Oh wait, no, I can’t let my kids be labelled a latecomer on their first day of school! Parental instinct wins.
• The heart-stopping moment when it hits home that THIS is the day that the whole family has been preparing and waiting for.
• Stay-at-home mums, you’re already relishing the thought of an empty, mess-free and quiet home… albeit just for the morning.
• Level of frustration skyrockets when your kids choose of all times, to have difficulty understanding simple instructions and to top it off with dilly-dallying during those few hours of mad rush.
• Frustration level just shot through the roof when their endless whining starts…
• Fussing and over-packing their snack boxes because your thousand and one questions regarding the school canteen’s food aren’t answered by the school’s list of FAQs – and it’s only Day 1.
• Despite the rush, you’d make sure to get that priceless first-day photos from every single angle possible—to be proudly shared with every relatives and friends via social media.
• The mad rush to double, no, triple-check to ensure that your kids brought all the stuff they need. 10 pencils and 5 erasers - checked. A box of plasters - checked...
• You achingly realise that saying goodbye is harder for you than for them. And with that, you feel the urge for one (or more) last hug, last-minute prep talks, and reiteration of the to-do list.
• As you watch your children walk tentatively but excitedly into the school, your heart swells with pride when it struck you that your baby has grown up, and in 6 years’ time, they’d graduate and move on to Secondary School, and on to a University, and so on… you get the drift. 

Parents who have taken these rides, be it a merry-go-round or a thrill ride like rollercoaster, will all laugh in agreement when they look back at their first day of Primary School experiences.