Today was the first day of Kindergarten.
My baby girl has grown to the amazing age of five and as a result we put her on the bus and sent her off to school. She loves it! She loves everything about it! The new backpack with matching lunchbox; the Cinderella pencil case; the folder to hold work; the new clothes and shoes; the prospect of homework; the ride to and from school on a "real" bus...the list goes on and on and on. The bottom line is that mommy's baby is not a baby anymore and her independence and eagerness is shining through.
Mommy hates it! I hate almost everything about it! I hate the idea of the bigger kids on the bus; I hate the idea of remembering milk money; I hate that she has to make friends without any help from me; I hate that she will, at some point, have her feelings hurt or a skinned knee and I won't be right there to make it better; I hate that a sign of good parenting is raising a child that is ready for kindergarten, and then middle school, and then high school, and so on. Mommy hates it so much that I walked home from the bus stop and promptly got in my car to be sure that she didn't get lost at the other end. I hid behind a bush at the elementary school and while she didn't see me, I could see her smiling face in the right line with the right teacher.
And yet, I love it. I love every minute of watching her grow. I love how excited she is about school. I love that she can't wait to learn to read. I love that she got off the bus this afternoon with stories from the day and an eagerness to go back tomorrow. I love that tonight at bedtime she hugged me tight and said "Mommy, I love you. Please snuggle a little longer."
I will snuggle as long as you like beautiful girl.
