The times are a-changin’ here for the G family. Buddy is an official kindergartener.
Thursday was his first full day and Buddy was bouncing off the walls all morning asking, “Is it time yet? Is it time yet?” Meanwhile, I tried to ignore the growing lump in my throat as I made his breakfast. It’s not like going to school all day is anything new for him – or us. He’s been in the same daycare full-time since he was 10 months old, so he knows the drill. He’s more than ready. But this is different. This is the start of his big boy life. Everything is new: the teacher, the school, the friends. Now Buddy’s the one who hangs his own coat and backpack in his cubby and somehow gets from the bus to his classroom every morning. He’s the one who will have to tell me what he did all day at school – no more handy daily activity sheet.
We headed outside that morning, all for of us (and Raven, too), to wait for the bus, and honestly, the whole thing was a blur. All of a sudden, the bus pulled up, Buddy waved goodbye and scampered onto the bus with a huge grin on his face. I think he may have waved at us once. But he never looked back. He never hesitated. And then the bus pulled away, and he was gone.
I looked at Dr. G. and we both had tears welling up. We were the parents of a kindergartener.
To commemorate the big occasion, Dr. G. and I took the day off and enjoyed a leisurely, kid-free lunch. It was relaxing and very much needed, but we were both checking the time every 10 minutes, anxiously awaiting 3pm so we could hear all about Buddy’s big day and take him out for a celebratory ice cream. Sure enough, a little after 3pm he bounded off the bus and gave us each a big hug. We asked him excitedly about his day. What did he think? How did it go? “It was totally awesome!!!!” he replied. And he went on for about 15 minutes telling his about his day, the friends he made, the things he did. Although we had to laugh: when we asked him his favorite part of the day, he said “Rest time,” which is basically about 15 minutes of quiet time – not nap time – in the early afternoon. But I guess he ended up dozing off a little. Ahh, Buddy and his naps. He is a member of the nap-happy G family after all.
And here we are – starting the official second week (and second day) of kindergarten. Because I tend to get bogged down in details, for awhile all I could think about was how our schedule, and our morning routine (which we had finally started to master), were totally going to change. How now I had to hustle to pick up two kids in two different locations in two different towns every afternoon. But as I packed up the lunches and snacks tonight for both kiddos, I found myself thinking not of our hectic schedule in the morning but about the look on Buddy’s face – that grin – when the bus pulled up. Such a big boy full of confidence and independence and excitement. And isn’t that what we hope for as parents? To see our kids ready to take on the world? I couldn’t have been more proud of him.
I know the schedules and routines will eventually sort themselves out. They usually do. All that matters is that he gets on that school bus every day excited about this new adventure he is embarking on. It’s going to be quite a ride … and I wouldn’t miss it for the world.
How did you survive the first day of kindergarten? Any tips for us newbies?
[…] with your Star Wars action figures, and you don’t ask me to join you as much as you used to. As I keep saying, it’s like you’re starting your big boy […]