Today was Max’s orientation at his new high school. It’s just been a relentless, exciting series of events over the last week, all marking Max’s official ‘growing up’ and leaving primary school. Friday was the Grade Six Dinner. Last night was the Graduation Ceremony. Today orientation. It’s been really, very extremely overwhelming for me. And even more so for Max, I reckon.
We headed off to the new school together this morning, marking the walk with intense chatter about what High School will be like and pointing out our fave street art pieces to each other along the way. We bought a packet of chips and a drink – as they were meant to take a snack. And he tucked $5 into his pocket with a few extra coins – to buy lunch at the cafeteria.
When we arrived, the room was FULL of kids ripe to start Year Seven. A lot of sizing up. A lot of chatter. A lot of giggling. And a very HUGE lot of Converse Hi-Tops! We toured the school again and met the two teachers for next year. We hiked up the stairs and checked out the rooftop and the kitchen garden. Kind of scoped it all out.
One of the teachers asked Max how he was feeling about it all, and he said ‘Um.. okay.. kind of not that good’. Luckily it was the teacher’s first day too. He said ‘I feel the same’.
So we kind of did a few orientationy kind of things. And then I could see it was really better if I left Max to his own devices, to kind of seize the day. Parents were free to stay, but it just felt like things would be better without me there. So off I went. A bit of a lump in throat. It really did feel like it felt when I left him at Primary School for the first time. Not one bit easier. Which I totally wasn’t expecting.
On the walk home, I remembered how I felt when my brother started High School. How much I worried about him. And I wondered if Ari felt like that about Max. Then I wondered how Max was going. There was a lot of wondering going on, as I wandered home.
I got stuck into some final things for the book that is always nearly finished. Wrote some emails. Did some stuff. Bided my time until 2.50 – when I got to go back and pick Max up again. I’m such a wet tissue of a Mum, I tell you. Of course, as I stood in the drizzly afternoon, wondering again, he came bouncing out of the building wielding not only a huge grin, but his Bunsen Burner License too. What more could you want? Those guys are good I tell you.
Apparently, it all went really well. He made some new friends. Played basketball in a real gymnasium for the first time. Got the form to fill out for Drum Lessons. And shared his lunch money with another guy. Sigh. Of course.
And when I picked Ari up he said he’d forgotten Max was going to High School today.
Sheesh. All that wondering for nothing. Thank goodness.
xxx Pip