Month of firsts 10 – June 2015: cycling, driving and new teacher

June was a funny month of firsts. Nothing that was obvious, but some really random firsts for N. July will definitely be a big month as it’s when he’ll be going for visits to the school he starts in September.

In June, N

Met his new teacher

Oddly, the school rang me to ask if the reception teacher could do a home visit, because they didn’t have us down as using the nursery. Bizarre, given that N goes to both of the nearest nurseries to the school. Instead, the teacher did a nursery visit to ‘meet’ the children there.

I’d expected that he’d chat to the children, and get to know them a bit, but it seems that it was more of a fleeting visit. Maybe to check they existed?!

Before the first visit N was so excited. He kept saying ‘Mr H is my new teacher. He’s coming to nursery to meet us. And will he wear shorts like the boys?’. No idea where he got the idea that male teachers would be in shorts, but my assurance the he’d be in trousers was true. I think the visit may have been an anti-climax, because then N didn’t say anything else about it.

The second visit was at the other nursery to visit a different child, but obviously N was also there. I asked him if the teacher had watched them play and talked to them. ‘No, but I said hello to him’. I was surprised that N was so polite because normally he won’t say hello or goodbye to anyone.

I’m not sure N is really aware of what he’ll be doing at school, and that it won’t all be about playing. He knows he’s going but he’s more excited about all the people he knows who’re also going with him, or who are there already. Although he does realise that he’s going to have to learn to wipe his bottom (my nightmare persuasion goal at the moment), and that ‘if it’s registration mummy, we have to ask if we want to go to the toilet’.

Been for a bike ride on the road

N absolutely loves riding his bike. Most evenings we have to get it out so he can cycle round the farm (his 13 year old cousin is his new hero because he rides round with him!).

The other week we decided to go out and watch a vintage motorcycle rally that goes past the farm. I just wanted to take some photos but N took his balance bike out and wanted to cycle along the verge. Next thing I knew, we’d gone all the way to my sister in law’s house….not good for my feet because I was walking along in my flip flops not having planned to be going miles.

On the way back, his cousin rode back to the farm with him, so N got the chance to cycle along the road. Thankfully the roads are only sporadically busy, so N’s very good at stopping and getting on the verge when there’s a car coming. But he needs to learn more about staying in the side of the road instead of veering out.

Then the other day we went along the road to our neighbours for their anniversary party. It’s not far, but I said he could take his pedal bike along to the garden party, so he got to ride that along the road. I must have an understating concept of the danger on the road, because the OH was panicking all over the place when he was trying to steer N in to stay at the side of the road. But N did a really good job and even managed to cycle part of the way up quite a steep bit of road.

I’ve also now bought a new bike so that once N is a bit more stable and reliable on the road, we’ll be able to go on bike rides…or more realistically when we’re out and about and could go on trails round forests. My first step is to find somewhere safe to keep it, because the OH keeps removing it from the utility room and leaving it outside, and I keep moving it back in. I think it’ll have to go in one of the barns until I can get a shed organised (going on the climbing frame debacle, that’ll probably not happen until winter!).

Been driven by his cousin

Kids on farms always learn to drive early because they’ve got private land, and usually various vehicles to practise in. The 3 eldest nephews have been driving around, moving vehicles around the yard and drive for a while now, and the 13 year old is the latest to get his own banger of a car to learn to drive on the farm.

N is loving the car. When we biked and walked to their house, he was invited to go in the car with his cousin and leapt at the chance. It was so funny watching him being driven round the garden, and then was driven off around the outside of the field behind the house. Their return saw N with a huge grin on his face, although I couldn’t see much other than the top of his head and eyes above the dashboard.

I love that he has so much trust in his cousins, how they all look after him as the baby of the cousins, and seeing him making new discoveries of activities he enjoys doing. It is scary though, thinking that it’ll likely be him driving round the farm in less than 10 years time!

If you’ve done anything for the first time in the last month and want to share, then do link up below. It can be firsts for you or your family.