We have grown accustomed to Fiona's arc of emotion concerning school. We expect to her to be less than thrilled about going, and she was. The day before Day 1, she whimpered a bit about being scared, but it came off more as habit than as genuine fear -- or at least her fear was tempered by a bit of curiosity and maybe even some excitement.
A couple of days later, we're doing alright. Every morning begins with a list of Fiona's aches and pains and a couple of "I don't want to go"s, but then she gets dressed and eats breakfast and gets on with it. And she comes home happy. Today, Friday, was the worst so far, with inexplicable tears and a stomach ache that hit the moment she stepped outside. It's terrible for everyone involved. I don't want her to go to school sad and scared, but a. she has to go and b. it's school, not prison. I just have to keep reminding myself that this is how it unfortunately works with our girl. By January, I suspect she'll be more at ease.