Did/will you cry when your child leaves primary school?

[anon1987]

My dd is going on to secondary school soon.
I'm not sad because she's growing up, I'm just sad that it will be the end of an era.
She's been there since she was 2yrs9mnths in nursery, and although I have 2 other dds who will continue on at the same school (one just starting) I just feel really sad about it.

I'll probably cry like a baby on leavers assembly, and again on her last day.
I will miss the familiar mums faces, as I'm not particularly close with any of the mums in my other dd class.

Will you cry or did you cry and feel upset?

No i don't think so. I didn't when dd1 left. Mothers of kids who'd been horrible to her were sobbing away though. The school itself has been great but dd is a lot happier at her comp. Most of her year went there too, but the bigger year group has meant she's been able to find a lovely group of similar friends and not had any problems with horrible ones. She's a lot happier there. Dd2 has had a happier experience socially at primary, but because I feel quite positive about the high school I think she'll have fun there too!

Don't get me wrong, I'm not worried about her going to secondary school.
It's an excellent school and she's very excited and although not all her friends are going to that school, her 2 best friends are going with her.

I think it's because she first started when in nursery when she only 2 years old and it's been a huge part of her life.
I don't cope well with changes although I'm sure within a month or 2 il be used to it.

I did when my ds left. The leavers assemblies really are quite emotional. Sad songs, the teachers saying what they will miss about each child, the children telling their favourite memory etc.
when dd2 left the infants her leavers assembly was the same. All the children singing Bruno Mars count on me whilst sobbing was sad.
Dd1s assembly were singing see you again, complete with slideshow, luckily we were away on holiday so she missed it.

I found it quite emotional but didn't cry. It's a right of passage for them and I was happy for them and I love having teenagers more than I've loved any age, but there is still that bit of you that feels sad that something has ended.

Am in the last term with my DS and getting tearful already. When he was in Reception I made the mistake of going to the Y6 Leavers assembly that year...I swore not to go again until I had to. Unfortunately it is coming round all too quickly. He still comes out of school and hugs and kisses me...said he doesn't care what anyone thinks. How long will that last?

I cried though in my defence the leavers assembly was designed to be highly emotional!
What pissed me off was a mum coming over to me & saying why are you so emotional [patronising head tilt] i shed only a few tears! stupid bitch I wish I told her I was crying happy tears that id never have to speak to her again!

I hope I won't cry. Unless DS does. Then I might. Or if the leaving play is poignant. At least he's going to the same school as his best friend so there won't be that big wrench.

Dear God no, DD would have been mortified! And to be honest, I was bemused at the parents that did cry - especially the ones who had spent the last couple of years complaining about the school, the teachers, the head, the kids...

No, my DC was more than ready for a new and more exciting environment, I had established friendship groups and was sick to death of the school gate socialising, now I only see and chat to people a want to and my DC are thoroughly enjoying their independence.

I didn't actually cry but I had 'that' feeling in the pit of my stomach. I was happy for DS moving to secondary and being a bit more streched academically but he had some wonderful teachers in P7 who he was sad to leave.
He's now almost completed first year at secondary where he's co-founded a creative writing group and taken up guitar, not to mention just surviving in a rather 'lively' class.

I definitely will. Only year 4 here and one in reception but in a few months we'll be looking round the high schools although we pretty much know where we want her to go. I love seeing her grow up, she's such an interesting, funny girl. But I will be sad for the childhood that she'll be leaving behind. It's possible to look forward to the next stage and miss what's gone. I don't like the implication that you're a bit wet if you get emotional. And it doesn't automatically mean that I'll be blubbing in front of her either.

Yes I did. My eldest left last year and we had a leavers mass and I don't think there was a dry eye in the house. We were asked to send in baby photos and they showed them on a big screen in the church. The kids all sang somebody to lean on but the worst bit was when they read out all the names of the families that were leaving the school for the last time it was so sad as the teachers read out " we would all like to say goodbye to these families for the last time" the listed all the families by name "the sham family, the Jones family.....
I will be a wreck when my youngest leaves

I am not upset because my DC is leaving primary - I am excited that they are moving on to a bigger school with more opportunities. He is ready too..... bit bored....stressy teachers recently with the SATs.....the playground dramas & school politics ....will be nice to leave that behind. I think the schools seem to really play up the whole leavers business, they seem to take pride in parents and children crying using it as affirmation that their school is just so amazing. Some children have told me how they hated the assembly - how they didn't want to cry and felt really embarrassed when their mums cried. When I left primary I think we must have had an assembly but I don't recall it....but I think we played sports all afternoon....I don't remember any tears from anyone. I remember it being positive. So, I think I'll not cry ....unless I can see the children are getting distressed.

My school does a photo montage of all the kids who are leaving accompanied to music. EVERYONE cries! Teachers, kids, parents. I didn't even know the children leaving last year and I sobbed! End of an era, we can all relate to that!

dc1 - no
dc2 - no
dc3 - I didn't cry, but did feel a bit weird, being the end of an era and all that.... but she'd done 7 yrs and eldest is 6 school years above her, so I'd spent a lot of time there by that point.

I didn't cry but it was emotional. She was at a small school and there were just 12 in her class at the end of Y6, and their class teacher died the summer previous.

It is one form entry so the girls had been together for 7 years, with some additional and leavers, but essential a close knit grip of girls who knew each other really well, and a group of parents who had got to know each other over the time too.

It was definitely an end of an era and it was an emotional day for the girls, parents and even staff (the teacher's sudden death had made it more so in some ways.)

Dd loved her primary school and that time was full of many happy memories. She's n y10 now and likes her school a lot, but she will always identify herself via the primary not the secondary. We are actually off to the primary school this weekend - it is merging with DD's current school (which was a through school) so it may be another emotional evening in a different way and for different reasons.

Oh god I definitely will. The school do a photo montage to music of photos of the class from when they started in reception through to year 6. Last year the year 6's were all crying and I had a tear or two even though none of my children were in the class!
I work in the school as well and will be sitting with my Year 1 class during the assembly and I know I won't be able to hold it in...

Cried buckets when my DTs left primary. I wasn't ready for them to leave! 2years later with DD2 no tears at the final assembly, we were all ready to move on. Then we said goodbye to her lovely year 6 teacher who had taught all of my DCs and she started blubbing which set me off too...

No, I didn't.

When I still had the younger DC there, it never felt like the end of a chapter. We still had that one, and an exciting whole new book of secondary.

I thought I'd feel a bit wistful when the youngest left (remember having the thought in the last couple of weeks that I wouldn't be going there anymore). But in practice, nope. DD had been having a scratchy time with friends and frenemies, didn't want to mingle and just marched me out, keen to get on with the big summer holidays.