A big day for us today and it is with a mixture of excitement and nervousness that Sam and I will set off to his first day at his new school. He started his other school at the age of three and it has been a huge part of our lives and community ever since.
Twice a day trips to the village seven miles away have punctuated the rhythm of our days and I have based lots of my household routines around that pattern. Since Jack left to attend high school last year, it has become more and more apparent how much my little one is overwhelmed by the size of his class. Missing the anchor his big brother provided in his day - his connection to home. I made him a felt acorn to keep in his pocket a symbol of strength, growth and our protection throughout his day and for a while it seemed to do the trick, but gradually his worries came back and we realised a bigger step needed to be taken.
Today, Sam will join only thirteen other children in the junior building of a tiny rural school just three miles from our home. He will be taught in a mixed group of ages from 7-11 years and will have the same teacher for the rest of his time at junior school. After a full days trial he came out smiling from ear to ear, confident and happy, excited by a day spent getting to know new friends and even more excited by the news that he would have his own old fashioned wooden desk! My little bush-craft fan will be able to enjoy time in forest school and digging in the garden and we have already practised the beautiful back lane cycle ride that we will take as often as we can instead of the car. I hope that everything will work out positively from this change but I also gain strength from the knowledge that having done it once we will find the courage to face change again if that is what is necessary to nurture our son in his journey through life.
