S is almost never nervous about anything. He charges at life full steam, and seemingly without any anxiety. Oh, except when he fails, or doesn’t get something right the first time. This summer he had a list of “sight words” to conquer before first grade started. He’s got almost all of them, a few still confound him, but he has done well. Except that he cannot tolerate not getting them right, and he will actually dissolve in tears if he misses a word, and we put it back in the “need to learn it better pile”.
Today, he exhibited a few more anxieties – he was cautious about using the hedge trimmer that his dad was wielding to tame our yard (I think that’s a good thing, though, don’t you?). He got into it, after awhile. And then they went for a quick bike ride, and dad tells me that he was cautious about heading down too steep a hill. (again, I’m happy to hear that he thinks about potential danger).
And, tonight, going to bed, he was a little subdued, and I asked him if he was excited about starting first grade – he was reserved in his response. He went to orientation on Friday, met his teacher, and was thrilled that one of his best friends was there and in his class. Quite a few of his old mates from kindergarten are in his class. He liked the teacher, and put his supplies in his cubby.
Maybe he’s worried about that list of “sight words”.
Sadly, when I ask him tomorrow how it went, he’s likely to say “fine” and provide no more details. We’ll see…

Oh, and, remember that hardware replacement? My husband and I have been having to retrain ourselves – we both involuntarily jerk out the bin to open it far enough to put recycling in its proper container (the deeper one), and we’re running the risk of pulling the whole thing out! It’s funny how you become ingrained in a habitual movement. And it’s only with putting in recycling, since the trash bin always came out just far enough to work without the “jerk”.