New School Term Jitters

It was a rainy Monday morning, the kind of day where you just want to stay under the covers.

But for Zion, this wasn't just any Monday; it was the first day of Term 1.

Just the day before, she had been asking her mother question after question.

"Mama, is my uniform ironed?" she’d asked.

"Pressed and ready!" her mom laughed.

"How about my socks? Are they in my shoes?"

Her mom realized this was going to be a very long list, so she turned it into their favorite game.

"Shoes?" Zion shouted.

"Check!" Mum said.

"Bag?"

"Check!"

They went through everything until Zion was absolutely sure she was ready for the big day.

But when Monday morning came around, something felt off.

Zion was still tucked under her blanket long after her alarm should have gone off. Her mom walked to her bed and noticed Zion’s eyes were open, but she wasn't moving.

"Good morning, my dear! Are you okay?" her mom asked. "Why are you still in bed? We’ve got to get ready or we’ll be late for the first day!"

Zion pulled the blanket a little higher. "Mama, my tummy hurts. I don't think I can go to school today."

Her mom sat on the edge of the bed and felt Zion’s forehead and neck. No fever.

She asked a few more questions, watching her daughter closely, until she realized Zion wasn't actually sick, she was just nervous.

"Hey," her mom said softly. "Is something bothering you? You can tell me."

"Oh Mama! I am scared. I am going to a new class; what if things are different and hard? The teacher is going to be a different one, and the kids in the new class may all be different. I think I want to stay in my old class!" she poured out her heart.

Her mother asked her to come out of her bed and sit on her lap, where she held her in a tight hug.

"My dear, I understand how you are feeling. It happens to me sometimes," her mother said.

"Are you sure? But you are old; I don't think you get scared!" Zion said with eyes wide open.

Her mother smiled. "Well, I also get scared, especially when change is happening. But I want you to know that change is part of our lives; it helps us grow from one level to another. Your old class was very good; you made friends and liked your teacher. In this next class, you will still go with some of your friends and even make some new friends. You will also find a new teacher that I am sure you are going to like because you are going to learn new and exciting things!"

Zion nodded her head as she heard this.

"Let’s do this: if you go today and still feel scared at the end of the day, you will come home and tell me. Deal?"

"Deal!" Zion responded, feeling more comfortable.

She jumped off her mother's lap and was already running for the bathroom to get ready for school.

"Let's hurry up, Mama, we don’t want to be late!" she shouted.

Her mother, seeing that Zion was back to herself, went after her to make sure she was ready and set for her new school term.

The End.