For parents, the first day of kindergarten is undoubtedly a monumental day; a day that signifies your little one really isn’t so little anymore. Monday marked Liam’s first day of kindergarten. Because of Hurricane Harvey, the start date was delayed by almost two weeks. When the big day finally came, he was absolutely ecstatic.
The night before his clothes were picked. He was eager to wear his new Star Wars tee and blue laceless sneakers. His lunchbox was prepped with Cheez Its, a ham and turkey sub, a yogurt pouch, and a Rice Krispie treat; all compliments of Lunchables. I don’t usually encourage Lunchables but was more than happy to appease his first day lunch request this time around. He set his alarm and went to bed full of excitement.
In the morning, the smiles and excitement continued. He posed for the obligatory first day pictures, even requesting the opportunity to take a photo with his little brother. We dropped Atticus off at daycare and headed to Shipley’s for a special first day breakfast of donuts and strawberry milk. On our drive to school, he chatted about the things he was looking forward to most- recess and riding the school bus back to daycare.
We arrived a little before 8:30 and stood alongside other families eager to walk their children in on their first day. At 8:30 several very excited teachers ran out of the building yelling, “It’s the first day of school!” This signaled the beginning of his first day. Together we walked hand-in-hand down the hall towards his classroom. It was a sea of backpacks, lunchboxes, and children. I could see a few nerves creeping in slowly across his face. I leaned down and whispered to him that it was ok to feel nervous. I always felt nervous on the first day too.
When we walked into the classroom, his teacher greeted him with a hug. He found his seat, gave us both incredible bear hugs, and looked longingly at us as we waved goodbye and walked out. Leaving him behind was bittersweet. I knew he was more than ready academically and socially for this new chapter, but leaving him behind was difficult, nonetheless.
At the end of the day, Sean and I picked up both boys together at daycare. This is a rarity but one of the cars was in the shop so we carpooled to work that day. Liam greeted us with a giant smile and raved about his first day. He proudly marched out of daycare with a hat made out of construction paper and sentence strips that said, “I rocked my first day of kindergarten.” His enthusiasm and praise were music to his parents’ ears, no doubt!
Now halfway through the first week, our kindergartner is still eager to get to school in the morning and comes home with positive things to say. I couldn’t be more grateful he’s off to a great start! Here’s to an incredible school year!
Birds of a Feather 