There she was. Looking in the mirror with her white collared, button up shirt and navy blue dress. She did a little twirl to see her skirt flare out “like a princess” and was so confident in her brand new school uniform.
“I need two pony tails on the sides with blue bows – that will make me look like a REAL Kindergartener!” she said excitingly. I grabbed the rubber bands and hair brush to do her hair just as she suggested.
We packed her lunch and took a few pictures holding the “First Day of Kindergarten” sign. We ate a yummy breakfast and tied up her shoes. We got in the car and it was official – we were on our way to the FIRST DAY of school.
“SMILE!” I said as she lined up for class – and I snapped a quick picture. She put her hand on her hip, popped her foot and gave me the proudest, most excited smile I’ve seen and I texted the picture over to my mom and said – “TEARS! WHY is my baby so big?!”
My mom always seems to say the things I need to hear, but I was just expecting her to say, “So cute!” or “She will do so great!”
But nope… her reply was one of the most beautiful reminders that I needed to hear. I looked at my phone and it said:
“Let her FLY, mama! She is going to SOAR!”
I was doing a really good job at not showing my emotions up until this point, but chills went down my spine.
Let her fly.
I have been preparing myself for the first day of school and all of the emotions that it brings! Some moms told me that I would sit in my car and bawl my eyes out the whole day! And some moms told me I will say “peace out!” and enjoy a trip to Target with only one kid. 😉
But to be honest, nothing could have prepared me for this morning. The emotions are real and raw. To see your five-year-old skip through the door to their classroom SO excited to learn, make new friends and FLY, is quite the scene.
And then to come home to a SUPER quiet house, picking up baby dolls, barbies and breakfast with no five-year-old to pull it back out and make a mess again is seriously SO sad!
I miss her.
Today I wanted to write a little note to you, my fellow Kindergarten Mom. I saw you and you saw me – and we both had the exact same feelings overwhelm us as the tears filled our eyes and went down our cheeks on that playground this morning.
I want you to know a few things though today that I have already learned in this short time:
1. THIS IS SUPER EXCITING: I was getting nervous thinking about what the milestone of “Kindergarten” means – since it really is so much more than just a milestone. I mean, this is a whole new CHAPTER in these little people’s books of life! They are closing the door of their baby, toddler and preschool years and saying hello to the rest of their LIVES! They are saying hello to new friends, reading, writing, math, science, talents, lunch times, recess, scenarios where they will find courage, exercise faith, show love, be kind and find who they are. How exciting to think how much they are going to grow and change this year – and how fun for us as moms to get to see it every single day!
2. AND ALTHOUGH IT’S SUPER EXCITING – IT’S TOTALLY SCARY: I have been home for one hour now and I am pretty sure I have worried about her 2,398 times already. 😉 Is she happy? Is she scared? Is she meeting new friends? Are they being kind to her? Is she being kind to them? Is she okay at lunch? Can she open up her drink? What about the string cheese – those are so hard to open sometimes! Is she missing me? Does she know how much I love her? You guys the questions go on and on and on – it’s okay to think of them and worry. This is TOTALLY scary!
3. IT’S OKAY TO CRY TOO: I was holding back the tears because I didn’t want to be “THAT MOM” at drop-off this morning, but then I looked around and didn’t see a dry eye in sight. This is such a big day – of course we are going to cry! Cry it out. It’s good for the soul! Shed some tears. Watch a movie. Take a nap. Go out to eat. Everything around you will remind you of that cute Kindergartener today – so carry a box of kleenex around with you and let it all out.
4. AND IT’S OKAY TO ENJOY IT: School drop off is an interesting thing because to be honest I can’t even decide if I am happy or sad. I am just a big ball of emotions?! Don’t think you HAVE to be sad – it’s totally fine to be stoked about running errands with one less child. Or having some extra time to watch your favorite show or clean the house without it getting messy 2.3 seconds later. There are definitely some pro’s to this whole “school” thing and it’s good to love it!
5. TIME WILL FLY: The days will fly. The weeks will fly. The YEARS will fly. And all of the sudden our little Kindergarteners are going to be in Junior High and then High School and then College and we will look back on these Kindergarten days and wonder where in the world time has gone?! Soak in these moments. THESE ARE THE DAYS! Of innocence and learning and excitement and energy – the glory days if you will! 🙂 Let’s soak them in and cherish this magical time!
6. MEMORIES WILL BE MADE: How fun is it to think of all of the memories that are going to be made this year?! For our kids. For us. And for our families. It’s a huge milestone and SO many fun things happen at this time in their little lives – the first day of school is only the beginning! We have visits from the Tooth Fairy and Santa Clause – we have school projects and learning to read – we have bike rides and dance recitals and soccer games and t-ball practice – and we have SO many fun conversations ahead of us to hear all about their fun days!
7. YOU HAVE DONE ENOUGH: This past week I have been wondering if I have done ENOUGH. Like if I showed her enough love. If I read her enough books. If I played with her enough. If I spent enough time with her. If I taught her enough manners. If I reminded her enough that she is brave and good and kind. Dear Kindergarten Mom – We may not be perfect moms – but we are absolutely ENOUGH moms. You are doing incredible. Give yourself a break! Please. They are going to be AMAZING.
8. LET’S DO THIS… TOGETHER: I want you to know today that we are all in this together. You and me. We both want our babies to be happy. We both want the best for all of our children. SO. When I see you again tomorrow for drop off…and then again the next day…and the next day… know that I am here for you and you’re not alone. We’ve got this together – we might be crying and hot messes together – but at least we are together and have each other.
Wow. The first day of school – we can make it through! And just remember my mom’s sweet text and reminder this morning… “Let them FLY, mama! They are going to SOAR!”
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Danielle is the owner of Today's the Best Day. She strives to provide creative and uplifting content in order to enrich the parenting experience for women everywhere. Danielle hopes to help you and your family to make every day the best day! 
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