Sayonara Second Grade

Today was Emery's last day of second grade. He was excited; the picnic was held inside due to rain; report cards were handed out amid clapping; it was fine. We were home before noon, picked up Greta, saw Dan off to Kiev, ate pasta, watched Nanny McFee, and took a bath. It's all going fine straight through stories and quiet reading time. As I'm sitting down to read my email and realize I haven't dealt with the car insurance on the two cars sitting in my CA driveway, I think I hear crying from the kids' room. Yup, it's Emery sobbing. I remember this from last year and know there's nothing to do but lay in bed with him and talk. He starts by telling me he's crying because he'll have to read & write in German next year. "Are you worried about doing that?" "No, I'm sad!" Then he tells me that he doesn't want to go to the new classroom because he's seen its freizeit room (play room) and it's tiny and his current classroom is way better. Then he tells me that he won't be able to see his 1st grade friends as they'll still be in the old 1-2 classroom and they have lunch earlier so he won't be able to wait for them on the way to the playground like he did in CA with Jacy. Then he tells me that he doesn't want to leave his desk because there's extra room for his feet because there's no one sitting across from him but he's only had that for a short time because the kid who sat across for him only got shipped off to Cambodia a month ago. So he cried a little longer and I rubbed his back a little longer. I left when he seemed cried out.

Just went back in to find him not yet ready to let go. Sometimes he seems so big--refusing to kiss me much at all and certainly not in public! It's unusual but nice when he just wants me to hold him and make it all better. Poor little monkey.