Abigail’s been having a rough couple of weeks at school.  I can’t really quite put my finger on what’s been happening, but she cries and cries and cries when I leave her.  Last Wednesday, she was so despondent that I caved and brought her back home with me.  She’s never, ever been upset when I leave her at school.  Ever.  This is the child who asks to go to school in the summer.  The child who asks to go to school on weekends.   She’s not really clear about what’s upsetting her.  I suspect that part of it is that her two best friends from last year aren’t in her class anymore (one moved three states away and one switched preschools).  And, possibly, part of it is that there are a lot of younger kids in her class.  She’s always been the oldest kid in her class, but the gap seems larger this year.  Some of the kids are still working on potty training and learning to sit still during story time and Abigail’s wanting to write her name and learn to read.  But, I know she loves her teachers and her classmates, so I’m not sure why the tears have started now.  Maybe she’s just tired! 

I do know that the solution, at least on Friday, was a bit unorthodox.  She started talking about not wanting to go to school and saying that she just wanted to stay home.  Then, somehow, she got on the subject of catching dragonflies.  I told her to try and catch one in the front yard.  After a couple of minutes, she came in, dejected.  “I can’t find any, Mommy!”  Then, I remembered that the night before I’d found a dragonfly in the kitchen and I had taken it outside and put it on the table.  So, I took her in the backyard and showed it to her.  She was ecstatic and asked if we could put it in a bowl to take to school and show her teachers and her friends.  I was game for anything that would make her glad to go to school.  So, we drove to school with the dead dragonfly riding in the car seat beside Abigail.  And, she went into school, smiling and excited.  She showed the dragonfly to everyone. in. the. entire. school.  And, when I checked her into her classroom, she ran to show her friends and only gave me a passing wave when I left.  I guess I need to start working on my bug collecting skills so I’ll have another specimen before school on Monday!