The first step

Today was Transition Day for A, with a day at her new secondary school; meeting her form teacher, her new form-mates and generally getting a feel for the place. It was a day that I have been dreading and looking forward to in equal parts. Dreading because I wondered who, if anyone, she would have in her form from her current class; looking forward to because I am excited for her to be starting a new chapter. I dropped her and a friend off this morning and after a lot of nervous/excited talk in the car they went in looking a little anxious. I have been trying to keep myself busy to take my mind off the urge to sit outside the school in my car all day waiting for her to come out. Which would have been stupid because the friends step-dad was picking them up….

So, I have been waiting impatiently for her return this afternoon, making myself wait and not text her the minute I knew she had left (stalking on Life 360 doesn’t count as cheating). I saw the car pull up outside saying “please be smiling, please be smiling” over and over in my head like a crazy woman, and lo and behold she was smiling. She has had the best day. She has no girls from her current school in her new form – tick. She has a few boys who she mostly gets on with (and most importantly, one of whom we will be car sharing with come September so they can go in together and help each other find their way around) – tick. She knows her form tutor already as she is a parent of children at her current school – big, big tick. She saw her brother at break and lunch and he didn’t ignore her – tick. She saw some older girls that she knows from our village and they gave her big hugs and made a fuss of her – tick. She has made 3 new friends, one of whom lives just along the road from us but has been at a different junior school so is a new local friend – tick. She volunteered (i.e.begged) to take part in one of the sessions and had to team up with one of the new boys in her form and they succeeded in their mission, to applause from the rest of the form – tick.

So, basically, a day full of big ticks and lots of smiles. Long may it last. I could cry with relief and pride.