first day walking to kindergarten
When we moved to Regensburg we enrolled our eldest child, Zoe, in the kindergarten down the street. She started school about one week after we arrived (just enough time to get over jet lag). When I went to meet the head mistress and see the kindergarten I loved it instantly. The atmosphere was warm, the garden was large, the children looked happy, the teachers appeared genuine, and Zoe also seemed to like it too. Ahhh, a perfect fit and something to give routine to our weeks.
Zoe had a lovely one week honeymoon at kindergarten and quickly attached to one of her teachers. The second week was not so lovely. She fell out of love with her kindergarten. She sulked and cried when we were getting her ready in the morning. Her kindergarten experience was a full immersion into Bavarian language and culture. Only one other child in her class spoke a bit of English and her main teacher’s English no better than my German (schrecklich!). I wrestled with my thoughts and my feelings as I took Zoe to school knowing she didn’t like it and didn’t fit in. But, as hard as it was, we realized as parents that this was the first big hurdle in our child’s life and we felt sure that we needed to help her overcome her fear and acclimate to her new school. This experience was building character in all of us.
About the third week of kindergarten I had been spending much time in prayer asking for wisdom about how to help my child feel more comfortable at kindergarten. A simple idea came to mind and I decided to try it and see if it would help Zoe. Zoe eats her lunch at kindergarten and in her lunch bag I started to write her simple love notes. Simple enough for one of her teachers to read them to her. Simple messages to convey our love and support for her, to encourage her to keep going. Messages like, “we are so proud of you, have a good day.” and “you are a sweet girl, we love you so much.” I decorated them with stickers and cut different shapes out of paper.
After a few weeks Zoe started complaining less and talking more about the things she was doing a kindergarten. She made a friend who showed her the ropes of a German kindergarten. The lunch love notes continued. One afternoon I was picking Zoe up from kindergarten and the head mistress pulled me aside to tell me that the notes in Zoe’s lunch were wonderful and how much Zoe enjoyed reading and looking at her note during lunch time. My heart leapt and I thanked God for the idea. I also thanked Him for helping my child overcome her first big battle in life. I know my notes contributed such a small piece to this triumph but they did make a difference.
I still write Zoe love notes and we have saved nearly all of them. I think I will do this as long as it is possible; to reassure of our love, our support, and to encourage her a little each day. And Zoe is now speaking and understanding German better than myself. She comes home singing German songs she has learned in school and sharing her expanded German vocabulary with me. She enjoys her teachers, activities, and the friendships she has made and my mother’s heart is so happy and proud.