New year, new school

So in the midst of returning from Spain and getting myself ready to leave again for a wedding this past weekend, Elisa started Pre-K at a new school. And she loves it. And I love that she took the change in stride. Because with that girl, you just never know. But sometimes she surprises me and this was one of them. I didn't hesitate to move her to another school because the school she attended last year just wasn't heading in the same direction as I was.  I wanted her to see a more traditional school setting with the Pre-K curriculum and I found it at Little Friends School here in Sunnyside. But as summer vacation wound down and we approached the new school year, I began to get nervous about telling her. I wanted to wait until school was imminent so she would be able to have a look around and meet some kids. Fortunately, they had a couple of days to ease into things and Elisa didn't seem to mind that she wasn't going back to her old school. She only asked once about a friend of hers and I just explained that he was staying at the old school.  Where I expected to find resistance and irritation, there was none. It was so much easier than I had ever hoped. And that was that. We are well into our first full week and she loves her teachers (there are two--one for each classroom, UPK and regular Pre-K) and has asked me several times if she can have her new friends over to our house for a tea party. I've yet to meet all these new faces, but I'm sure in time we will do just that. But for now, there is nothing better than seeing her excitement every morning as she heads out the door to her "Mickey School" (because the former Director had lots of Mickey Mouse mementos in her office).  I really think this fit is better for Elisa, and for me, and that makes starting new feel fresh and right.  Hopefully this continues and leaves me with lots of time to debate the next step in her school trajectory: Kindergarten. With so many options and plenty of limitations here in NYC, my thoughts about it are already a jumbled mess. But in time, everything works out. So here's to another year of school and enough time to see where this girl is headed next.