The first day of school. It’s a day that is often full of chaos, uncertainty, anxiety, excitement, laughter, and often tears – although, more often than not, those come from the parents as they wave goodbye to their little one. We often worry that our kids might struggle to make new friends or hope that they’ll be the “nice one” in the class.
Ollie is the affectionate one. He’s sensitive to others and loves with his whole heart (and happily wraps his whole self around you to give hugs). He’s ebullient. He loves getting caught up in laughter and leaping into your lap for cuddles.
As his first day of junior kindergarten approached, his family talked about how wonderful junior kindergarten was going to be. He’d get to meet new friend and spend time at recess with Morgan, his best friend from next door.
Ollie had psyched himself up so much that there wasn’t a shred of anxiety in his little bones. He delighted in having Dad home from work for the morning, taking advantage of the extra time afforded by his early start and the extra company. He filled his morning with laughter and hall hockey, and excitedly waited for Mom to tidy his hair before helping pack his book bag, getting on his shoes, and running the whole way to school.
Calla, as you’ll see below, is NOT a morning person. She didn’t get a jumpstart on the day and would’ve happily hid under the blankets for quite awhile longer if she’d had the choice, but Ollie was ready to greet her with his cheerful little voice, probably expecting her to share his excitement. Ollie has been Calla’s constant sidekick; he’s been her playmate, her co-conspirator, her best buddy (and occasionally her nemesis). Having never been forced to spend any significant time away from him in her few short years of life so far, it was interesting to see how she coped with the impending loneliness as the morning wore on. While Ollie excitedly greeted his neighbour and other bestie at school, Calla lingered in the background, quietly observing this new environment and processing what was about to happen.
Ollie’s excitement over starting school meant that he rushed off with barely a “goodbye,” leaving Mom, Dad and Calla to walk quietly home together. Their emotions were summed up perfectly when Calla jammed her thumb in her mouth and twirled her braid through her fingers – a sure sign that she’s dealing with anxiety.
At the end of the day, Ollie was greeted with a huge hug from Calla and he got to regale them with tales of his adventures from his first day in junior kindergarten. Starting school turned out to be a perfectly positive experience for this happy little man.
Last September, I documented the start of the school year for three different families (here’s another one, if you’re curious) and I’ve completely fallen in love with these particular sessions. I’m offering up documentary mini sessions once again for September, but have very limited availability because of the limited start dates for the different school boards. If you’d like to book your session, NOW is the time to get in touch.
Ollie’s first day of school was a certainly a memorable one. Here’s a little look into how he spent his morning:
I’m Ang – a Cornwall, Ontario-based photographer with a passion for capturing light and photographing natural moments in life as they happen. My goal with any family is to capture memories of moments that are fleeting; of behaviours that you won’t see in two years (or even six months) – like the elation or trepidation of going to school. I love meeting new families in their natural environment and getting in amongst the bedlam so that I can document the perfectly imperfect realities of daily life, wherever that may take us. Maybe you’re lucky enough to be looking for a photographer for your own Cornwall adoption day celebration, or maybe you’re wanting to remember what Christmas morning looks like in your home this year. There’s never a wrong time for a documentary family session. Please explore more of www.momentusstudio.com to see more examples of my unique approach to candid family photography, from rural Ontario family photography sessions with threenagers to Ottawa family photojournalism and Cornwall first-day-of-school photos.
