Transitions

I had a boring nightmare last night that involved trying to catch public transportation to get somewhere and not being able to do so. This is part of the travel nightmare genre that is common in my dream world; things going wrong at the airport, or on the plane, missing my flight or ride, etc. Maybe it is about travel anxiety because we have a big travel day coming up soon, or maybe it is about more generalized transition anxiety.

Today is the kids' last day in the snowflake room at their preschool. Once we get back from vacation, they'll start the new year in a different room, in a 4-K program that is part of the district. They'll be in the same school, though, just a different room.

Nora and Milo have been with their teachers for the entire two years they've been at preschool. Not only that, but their two teachers started the same time Nora and Milo started, so this two-year cohort of kids is the first they've had at this school. Now the teachers return to the younger crowd, starting over with two year olds, and the four year olds move up into a new room with new teachers. Nora and Milo seem mostly ready for this and I probably have more trepidation about it than they do.

Dropoff this morning involved tears, on the part of the parents and teachers, not the kids. The thing is, their two teachers have been amazing. Like, pretty much the best you could ever hope for in a preschool teacher. They are both so skilled in understanding the kids and empathizing with them, they're so warm and loving, and so accepting of Milo and Nora's natures. They celebrate Milo and Nora. How many teachers do that?

I don't want it to end.

There are a lot of transitions in childhood, aren't there.