Life is really great when you’re a kindergartener. I’m reminded of this fact of life as I watch our little one make that milestone leap from pre-schooler to big kid.
Jonah’s been on the warm-up for elementary school since last April’s Kindergarten Round-up. Our school invites all of the pre-schoolers in for a tour during the school day. This was especially helpful our first time around with our oldest, Simon. But this time, we’re veterans. Simon’s in third grade. I’ve been an officer on the PTO. We know the ins and outs of this school.
So, Jonah was really excited to head off to his first day this morning. He woke up early – like 5am early – to start his day. Daddy turned him back to bed when Jonah announced it was 5049 o’clock. At a more respectable hour (7am) we started the big day. His only concerns were wearing his Star Wars backpack all morning around the house and when he could get on the bus. This has been a goal since Simon’s first day three years ago. It’s like all of his hopes and dreams were coming to pass.
He was a trooper. He got right up that first big step, gave Miss Kim his name and followed his brother to the back of the bus. (Having an older brother was his ticket out of little kid land behind the driver.) He waved from the window and rode off.
I didn’t tear up at this moment like I did with Simon. It was a perfect send-off. I wasn’t scared for him. His school is an amazing place. I love the faculty and staff. The kids are great. And he wasn’t nervous (like Simon was heading off into the unknown for all of us).
I got to talk to him this afternoon after school. He was jazzed that his classroom had Legos. They played and talked about learning, but didn’t dive right into the tough stuff. He liked not having a seat belt or a car seat on the bus. His teacher is nice and there’s a little “living room” in his class.
The best stuff happens in kindergarten.
