I knew the move would be an adjustment — new house, leaving family and friends — but that was only half of the change for Ethan. Since Ethan was 12 months old, he had been attending La Petite Academy. He’d essentially grown up the past 3 years with some of the same kiddos at his side day in and day out (Hope and Carmen were his favorites!). And Ethan loved his teachers who had also known E for a long time.

Since, we couldn’t take his school, friends and teachers with us, I began the search for a new school that would fit the bill and hopefully in time, help Ethan make new friends. The first few weeks out here were a little tough as I think Ethan liked (and needed) the routine that school had provided and we were all missing that routine. By July, we had thankfully found a few options.

Eric and I were both interested in exploring Montessori schools – we had learned a bit about Montessori education and the very tactile and individualized learning philosophies that are the foundation from friends and a few teachers (you can learn more about Montessori here). That — coupled with a visit — is what helped guide me to Ethan’s school. It’s a small Montessori school (only 45 kids total) and it’s tucked away in Santa Monica. The teachers all seem very nurturing, the curriculum seems typical Montessori and there’s a very large playground area — which of course was a big selling point to Ethan. We decided to start during their summer program which is a smaller session of children and more low-key than the normal school year program.

His first day was a hit! He loved it, made a new friend and was super excited about getting to bring a lunch box with him to school. The first few days he was riding the wave of excitement. Well, this past week was his first full week (school is 5 days a week) and it was a little tough. He was worried about losing his lunch box, worried about not eating all of his lunch, worried about getting his naptime sleeping bag mixed up with someone else’s and he was very afraid to make anymore new friends. Just displaying some anxiety and uncertainty. There were even a few days that he needed to ask his teachers for hugs. Poor guy.

Eric and I did our best to support him last week, explain to him that change is hard and that it’s ok to ask his teachers for hugs if he was feeling sad. We tried giving him a few pointers on meeting some new friends (and of course added a bribe to the local frozen yogurt shop to help sweeten the deal). His teachers were great – they explained that they are trying to teach Ethan to not worry so much and to trust that they will take good care of him. They want him to feel less anxious, and know that if he needs them, they are there, but they are guiding him to address some of his concerns himself.

Each day seems to get a little better, and by last Friday Ethan had made 2 new friends. Though he’s still a little apprehensive about school, we’ll see what this week brings.