Adjustments

"I hate school, Mom."

"You hate school?  What don't you like about it?"

"Everything.  I hate homework, I hate going.  I just hate it."

As these words came spilling out of Liam's mouth, I could feel tears start to well up in my eyes.  Two weeks into school and he hates it.  

"Do you hate your teacher?"

"No."

"And you like lunch and recess and gym, right?"

"Yeah, I guess," he replied a bit reluctantly.

"So you don't hate EVERYTHING, right? And you get to learn lots of new things."

"I HATE learning new things!"

Aha.  It was going to be one of those conversations.  Clearly, nothing I said was going to make him feel much better because he didn't want to feel better.  He wanted to hate school.

I sighed.  "It will get better, honey.  I promise."

It was the best I could offer him but I felt so bad for him.  Liam loved school last year and he always looked forward to going.  He'd push me out the door to be as close to the front of drop off line as possible.  He came home bubbly and happy every day.

This year is an entirely different matter.   I know that a lot of it has to do with the schedule adjustment.  I know that first grade is The Big Leagues and very different from what he is used to.  But I also know that his teacher knows this and that she is working hard to get the kids through all these changes as smoothly as possible.  All the same, my heart hurts for him that he is experiencing these feelings at all.  

Slowly and incrementally he seems a bit more chipper about school.  He came home yesterday in a better mood and Scot took him out for ice cream last night.  Some one on one time with Dad really seemed to center him.  We'll keep on plugging, because that's what we do, and I'll keep hoping that his love of learning will return soon.