I made it through the first week of school. My darling girl bounced happily onto the bus that first day of kindergarten and never looked back. I, of course, was having an internal war that rivaled the most bloody and violent thing you have ever seen. The night before the first day of school I was an anxious, blubbery mess. I just knew that my sweet girl was going to cry getting on the bus the first day of school (I give her no credit at all). I tossed and turned and had terrible nightmares that she would be riding the bus all alone crying for her mother. I looked haggard the next day.
My children awoke bright and happy. I fixed them a wonderful first day breakfast, fresh eggs from the chickens, fruit, a nice tall glass of organic soy and they were protein powered to go for the first day ( better not get used to that breakfast, cereal here we come). I happily marched my sullen fourth grader to the bus stop and all but pushed him on to the bus. I did manage a quick kiss before sending him on his merry way. I knew he would be happy to be back with his friends and in his routine again.
I nervously walked my girl down to her bus stop, my insides jittery and my heart pounding. On the outside I was smiling and taking pictures like the other normal mothers, I can fake it with the best of them. As I saw the bus approaching I wanted to grab my darling daughter and run for the hills. What transpired next broke this poor Mama’s heart, but also made me proud at the same time. I gave her a quick hug and as I leaned down to give her a kiss she put her hand up and said “Not in front of the other kids Mommy.” Oh, the crushing sorrows. I watched her as she bounced up the steps and sat right down on the bus with the biggest smile on her face. Her bus driver is one of the nicest people, who greets each child every morning in the kindest way. It makes such a difference.
Each day, she says the same thing when she gets home from school, “Today was AWESOME!” She adores her teacher (and so do I), tells me things she is learning every day, and loves making new friends. I am so thankful for her wonderful kindergarten teacher; I have had the pleasure of volunteering in her classroom already, and the patient way that her teacher speaks to the children, the way the classroom is set up, the songs they sing, the games they play, I want to be in kindergarten again! It makes my neurotic mother’s heart happy knowing that my child is in this teacher’s room every day. So, while I was panicking at the thought of losing her to kindergarten, I am over the moon at how thrilled she is with school. Letting them go is hard, but seeing them happy eases the agony just a bit.
