First Day of Secondary School

Abby's first day of secondary school is today. She is going to an all girls school. This school is junior high and high school all in one. She will be at this school until she graduates. There are only two other girls from her primary school going to this school with her and they are not any of her close friends. They are just acquaintances. She feels very lonely and scared. All summer we have been thinking about her new school and I know she has been very worried. I thought that I would try and take away as many needless worries as possible by getting her all the correct school items and uniform etc that she needs. We went and got her uniform and bought everything that they recommended because of course, I don't know otherwise so it is just better to have everything even if she doesn't end up really needing some things. Anyway, all said and done, it was £268 ($408). Wow! Pretty expensive but I wasn't expecting it to be cheap. The only thing we didn't buy was shoes since I had just bought her some black school shoes not long ago and she could use the same ones for secondary school. I made a special effort to make sure she had the right stationary pack and lunches paid for etc. (At her school, you use your thumb print to pay for lunch and then it just deducts it from an account I add money to.)

Last night, she was worried about everything. It is her first time taking the bus to school. She was worried if she had a grumpy bus driver and who she would sit with etc. She was worried about who she would sit by at lunch and if she would like the food. She was worried that she would have to dress for P.E. and do running.  The list goes on. The big day (today) finally arrives. She got up and got dressed but was lingering in her room. I had the distinct feeling to go see her. Sure enough, I walked in and she began crying. More comforting, more consoling. Big breath and she goes downstairs for a lovely breakfast prepared by Daddy of sausages and baked beans (her request - my children are becoming so British in more ways than one).

The time is approaching for Charles to take her to the bus. She runs up brushes her teeth and comes back down to get her shoes on. Shoes? Where are her shoes? We cannot find them anywhere. I told her a few days ago to try on her shoes and make sure they were still ok to wear this year. She didn't want to and said they were fine so I didn't think much of it and didn't push it. We look all over the house and then remember that on the last day of school (big long story) they were left in a friend's car and we never got them back because said friend left for Pakistan a few days later and we never saw her again. Bad news, friend is still in Pakistan. First morning of school and Abby has no shoes! How could this happen? I was so careful about trying to think of everything to make sure she was completely ready and to be sure she only had the usual stresses and nerves and not any needless additional ones. WHHHHHYYYYYY!!!???

She ended up wearing some old black cloth shoes that she had been running around in all summer with almost a hole in the toe.  These she wore with her navy blue blazer, light blue blouse and pleated skirt, short white socks and flimsy old worn out shoes! Other girls are were wearing navy blue nylons or tights with smart leather slip on shoes with their uniforms. Poor thing! I felt terrible!  Now not only is she going to be stressing about who she will sit by and if she will make any friends but how ridiculous she looks in her old summer shoes.....  I am so upset about it all that you would think I was the one at school with old shoes hiding them under my chair so none of the other girls would hopefully notice them.....Well, I guess I am off to the shops to buy shoes. I pray I can find her size this late.....Happy first day of secondary school!
I will post a picture of Abby in her proper school uniform soon....