His First Day

What a milestone! Z started school yesterday. In Texas, or at least where I lived, his birthday is just after the cut off and he was scheduled to start kindergarten next year, but in Kentucky he is supposed to start this year. Enrolling my child in school for the next 13 years was a decision I didn't want to feel rushed into or have Z unprepared for. So we decided to hold him back and stick with our original schedule, which I was told a lot parents do and it's perfectly acceptable.

Z has never been to any type of daycare or nursery school. His first 4 years were spent at home with me just learning about life in a relaxed environment. That is why I am taking this Pre-k business very seriously. I treated yesterday as the monumental day he began his long journey of formal education. Maybe that is why I cried just a tiny little bit on the way there.

On Z's first day of school I woke up earlier than I ever do, ironed his clothes, shoveled down some pancakes, fretted over whether I was sending him with enough food for lunch, and frantically looked for his back pack wondering why I hadn't done all of this the day before. J and I managed to get both kids out the door and with shortness of breath I began snapping pictures rapidly. I threw any of my professional photographic training out the window. I was in the candid, crazy mom mode. The mom that kept the camera around her neck all morning and literally followed her kids into the school taking pictures all along the way.  

There was a moment though that the craziness subsided. It happened when J and I prayed for Z. That was the moment that I stopped panicking about details and started allowing reality to sink in. I remember days I thought I wasn't going to survive the terrible two's, the nap time refusal, or the multiple attempts at potty training. Somehow I see this day as a finish line for that stage in life, the PRE school stage. Like I can look back and say we did it. It's the beginning yes, but it is also the conclusion of something else. He is no longer a toddler, a baby, or even a preschooler really. He is a smart, compassionate,  happy little boy. A little boy who marched right up to school on his first day and went and sat down with his classmates ready for this new chapter.

When I picked him up that afternoon they said he did a great job. Z showed me a map in the hallway on the way out. He loves geography. He held my hand as we headed to the car and I think he walked a little taller that day. I think I did too.