The final phase-in

Written September 21, 2021

Every year I brace myself for September, knowing it packs a pretty significant punch, and every year I am taken aback by how hard the transitions are for us.

This year marks our eighth (and final) consecutive year of starting out the school year with the preschool phase-in process. It’s meant to ease them in, and to give young kids time to acclimate to separation - basically it’s the opposite to the rip the bandaid off approach. I get it. It makes so much sense to give kids security in knowing their adults will come back, and to gradually increase the time spent at school.

However, I’m having a hard time liking it. This year it has felt like a marathon, and we are crawling toward the ultimate goal of a full day. I’m not sure if I always felt this way, or if it’s because the older two basically started school in 2022 this year (or really Sept. 13 but come on- it was late), but I have been struggling to appreciate this extra time with my sweet G.

Then this morning she asked if she could ride her bike to school, and I said sure, and the joy and excitement on her face were enough to make me pause and remind myself that we can do hard things like the preschool phase-in process. Apparently we can also ride a bike on a college campus where everyone has noise cancellation headphones in while looking at their phones and arrive in one piece.

I decided to give myself an extra pat on the back today. I’m also giving myself a second coffee because hard things require caffeine and more patience than I can muster at this time.

To my fellow families navigating the twists and turns of September, we can do hard things. We can also follow the college students’ lead and tune out our lovely families from time to time. Just watch out for the bicyclists who are learning to do hard things like pedal and steer at the same time.