Maybe he'll just never like school

Written by Heather Starr Fiedler. Posted in PittsburghMom

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schoolToday was the first day of school in our district.  Matthew went to second grade and Ben was off to kindergarten.  He wasn't thrilled to go and as of yesterday still told us he wasn't going.  But we talked him into it (the bus ride was what sold him on the idea) and he went off happily enough this morning.

When I picked up the kids this afternoon I asked how their day was. Matthew replied "good!" and Ben followed with "not good".  He went on to say that he  liked computer class but that was all. The rest of kindergarten was "boring".

It's typical Ben. He's never wanted to go to school. He was thrilled about kindergarten back in April when he was still in preschool. I think he saw it as a step up/a way out of preschool. But when push came to shove and he spent the summer out of school the options in his mind became "school or stay home" and suddenly kindergarten didn't look so exciting anymore.

Years ago I thought it was the daycare we had him in. We'd have to drop him and run while he wasn't looking because he begged not to go, held onto our legs, etc.  So we switched day care centers.

The second daycare was wonderful. And he still didn't want to go.

And now he's not thrilled about kindergarten.

I'm not really sure why he doesn't want to go.  He does seem to decide that if things are "required" then he doesn't want to do them. I think it's his defiant personality. He excels at school and enjoys himself when he's there. But when morning rolls around he's a bear.

I am so used to having a kid that loves school and gets excited, that it's hard for me to understand a kid that doesn't want to go. 
I think I have to just come to grips with the idea that he may never like school. What can I really do?