Primary School Debut

The BIG DAY had arrived. Day one in primary school! I woke up excitedly at 7am and prepared Big Bee's uniforms, bags, watch (yes! she will need a watch to check the time now!) and the pocket money for her brand new wallet. The school advised that we should only give $2 per day to the little kids, which is good advice to prevent flaunting and wasteful spending of pocket money.

Big Bee dawdled a little when I woke her up at 7.30am, having slept so late the night before. But she was obedient and well behaved when preparing herself for school, wearing her uniform for the first time excitedly, putting on her school socks pro-actively and delighted when she took her matching "My Little Pony" wallet, pencil case and water bottle cover! Style, indeed, in a little girly way.

Her "Powerful Puff Girls" trolley school bag was a recycled item from her travel luggage, as I did not buy her a new school bag, thinking it was big enough to contain her many books. It was really heavy though!

So, there we were, at 8am, literally on the threshold of our living room door, and figuratively on the brink of a new phase in her life. Papa hoisted a sleeping Little Bee from her bed, and we prammed her together with her sister, wanting to share this special morning together as a whole family. The walk to school took about 12 minutes, with me perspiring loads due to the heavy school bag!

The parents were allowed into the classroom this morning as the form teacher explained the procedures of primary school. This time, I found Mrs Tay, her form teacher, very nice yet firm, highly experienced (she had more than 25 years of teaching!) yet caring and empathetic towards the kids. Wonderful combination.

Mrs Tay advised us on all sorts of primary school issues - from number of CCAs to take, to recommended sleeping time (she highlighted that the kids should be sleeping at 8pm to 8.30pm! I don't think I can accomplish that for Big Bee at all!), to the types of foods to avoid during the first year at recess (no boiling bowls of noodles for the little ones, please, as they can hardly carry hot bowls of soup and jostle with crowds at the same time!). Very sound advice in all.

We watched how she interacted with the kids, which was very understanding and personal, and as they gathered together to sing songs, I saw the class slowly warming up to her. Big Bee was quickly making friends, giggling and whispering with her new queue partner already!

Each primary one girl was allocated a primary five buddy for 2 weeks, who will bring them around the school, acquainting them with the ways of primary school. Big Bee's buddy is Melissa, a studious-looking yet chatty eleven-year-old girl. She brought her down to the canteen during recess, and as Big Bee munched on a Hello Kitty moulded sandwich that I prepared at home, Melissa chomped down a big plate of creamy pasta! The canteen was like a battlefield of hungry kids, with long queues at the stalls, yakking girls and minimal space at the benches and tables. Big Bee shared with me that she preferred to pack food from home, I guess most of the primary one kids are certainly overwhelmed by the long queues and the fact that they have to scramble and find their own food from now on, rather than being served on a platter!

We left Big Bee with Melissa to explore the school grounds while we spend some time with Little Bee, who, not surprisingly, kept pointing at the canteen stalls, telling us "I want, I want!" So, we bought her a tuna and egg sandwich, which she wolfed down happily!

At 10am, after the half-hour recess, we watched as Big Bee settled into her class, and we waved goodbye to her. She seemed comfortable and confident, unlike her clingy and teary pre-school days. I am relieved that she had transformed into this mature, adaptable, sociable girl.

At home, for the first time in a long while, I can spend a couple of quality hours with Little Bee, playing solo games with her, chatting quietly with her and bonding loads together.

At 12pm, I set off to fetch Big Bee from school. Parents were not allowed into the classrooms anymore. We can only fetch the kids at a gathering point on the ground level. As I watched my little girl walk down the stairs cheerfully, my heart expanded with the hopes that the start of her academic journey in life may be smooth, momentous and transformative after all. My heart aches to see my little girl growing up independently of us, having a life of her own, secrets of her own, yet my head simmers with pride to see her handling the vicissitudes of life so well thus far. Good luck, Big Bee!