Thursday, August 28, 2008

In less than one week...

B1 starts Kindergarten on Tuesday, September 3rd! In some ways I can hardly believe it, and in others it seems a long time coming. Wow! How wonderful it is that he is ready to approach this new opportunity with such eager excitement. Despite his interest, enthusiasm, and genuine thrill to be going to school, his Mommy has some trepidation. Yes, of course, I am sure this is not unique. The concern I have is less about "my little boy growing up" and more about him being in the world (the smaller world of the classroom) without me. Indeed, he has been in different childcare arrangements where he has existed for hours on end without me, yet there seems to be something quantitatively and qualitatively different about starting Kindergarten.

I have felt more pressure over the last several weeks, days, hours, minutes (you get the picture?) about sufficiently equipping him with the skills - physical, social, emotional, psychological - necessary to find his way among the other children, new experiences, teacher, etc. he will encounter. Did we do enough reading? Was I too hard on him when he cried instead of using his words? Not enough? Did we have enough "summer adventures"? Did we do too much?

I know from my own life that most of my most significant growing periods were those that started in sadness, upset, disappointment or otherwise "crappy circumstances." Yet, I am somewhat fearful for my son to learn his own life lessons in a similar matter.

The other side of my trepidation is pure elation - a sense of wonder and excitement of my own that he has reached this special milestone. The question becomes, am I equipped to stay on the latter side (at least for Tuesday!)?

... I think so
... I hope so

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