The emotional weight of starting a new school

She came home on the first day and said it was great. She ate, took a bath, and went to sleep. In the days that followed, she kept saying everything was fine.

And yet something shifted. She’s more irritable at home. Sleeping badly. Crying over small things that used to pass in seconds. Or the opposite: too quiet, too contained, strangely easy.

You ask if everything’s okay. She says yes. You watch, and you’re not sure.