No Tears For This First Time Kindergarten Mom

My son starts Junior Kindergarten this week.  Its a gradual entry, so in my mind, he doesn't officially start until next week as his first full day won't be until then.  This time of year you see lots of blog posts, articles and media about sending kids off to school for the first time and the tears that may come from mom and/or dad. Last weekend my mother in law told me she bawled when my husband went off to kindergarten. Maybe the tears will hit me later, but right now I am so excited and so proud of my son, the tears are no where to be found.

My son, just one day old

My little boy is a sweet and social kid.  He's been in daycare so he's used to being in a group of kids, used to following instructions and being away from his parents.  I know he'll be a bit timid going to a new school and the transition will be hard as he leaves the daycare friends he's had for the past three years. But I also know that in a month or two he'll have new friends and thrive learning so many new things and getting more and more chances to be a big kid.  And that makes me so proud.  Proud that over the past four years we've done what we needed to do to get him ready for this next step.  Proud that he gets so excited over new accomplishments whether its learning the monkey bars or holding a pencil correctly or jumping higher than he could before.  Excited that he will continue to learn social skills like compassion, kindness and respect. Even the tough moments that he will face such as disappointment, losing and being left out are opportunities for him to grow and to learn that he can choose his reactions to those moments.  These are key moments in life and they shape the person you become.  I am here for him to navigate these challenges and help him thrive in spite of them.

I look at him and just can't help but be excited to see what he will continue to grow up to be.  To watch his interests grow and knowledge increase and his life become bigger as he starts school.  I guess there is a bit of sadness too, but its such a pleasure to watch this kid grow.  I've got a smile planted on my face and I watch with pride as my baby continues to surprise me, make me laugh and amaze me with the person he continues to become.  Looking forward to a great school year ahead!