It's been just over a month now since we sent our Trav-man off to kindergarten. What a bittersweet day, in so many ways!
In the days leading up to Travis' first day, I did a really great job of ignoring my feelings. :) I love the excitement of the back-to-school season - supply shopping, letters from teachers, clothes shopping, etc. So I was able to focus more on the fun part of it rather than the reality that my firstborn is growing up. But the day before, and then when it came time to actually drop him off - whew! I was a wreck!
The image that kept coming to my mind that day was the one of just me and him (Steve was sound asleep) hours after he was born. It was the middle of the night at this point, and I couldn't put him down or fall asleep. All I could do was marvel and dream and try to wrap my mind around the fact that this was OUR baby, our son, and how everything had now changed. Easily one of the greatest few hours of my life - when I first became a mother.
I heard this quote at MOPS sometime last year, and thought about how very true it is when it comes to the preschool years....the days really can be sooooo long! Yet still, the years fly by. Where did five years go? This realization that his baby/toddler/young child years are over and I can never get them back was part of my sadness. But another part of it was knowing that once kids start school, time REALLY flies! I told Steve in tears that day, "He might as well be graduated from high school already!" Okay, so that may have been a slight exaggeration, but really....he's going to be in the 4th grade and then the 8th and then the 12th before I know it! I can (and will) cherish every bit of watching him grow up, but in the end, no matter how much we enjoy our kids while we have them - it's still going to seem like time flew by.
At Travis' school, there's a big courtyard in front of the building where you drop off/pick up your kids (there are no buses to this school), and as you can imagine, it was packed on the first day. I generally can't/don't like to cry around other people and was able to hold myself together for the 10 minutes while we waited for the bell to ring. But when I gave him a kiss and hug and then watched him wave at me as he followed his line inside....I melted. While many parents kind of peeked in to make sure their kids were doing what they were supposed to do, I made a beeline for the car where I could really let it all out. I missed him a lot that day, but then another very memorable mothering moment....picking him up at the end of the day! He had the biggest smile on his face and hugged me tightly, then proceeded to talk on and on and on about his teacher and new friends and how they get "THREE RECESSES!!"
Anyway, I'm better now :) We've settled into our new routine, and Travis LOVES kindergarten! The Tacoma School District does 5 full days for Kinders, which I thought might be a lot for him, but he has adjusted well. He's pretty cranky some evenings from tiredness, but then again, so am I :) I am SO impressed with his school and SO thankful we got him into it. His teacher is fabulous, and Travis looks forward to every single day. At home, I quickly came to realize the perks of him being at school for 6 1/2 hours every day - a)I get way more done! b)more time with Jayna and Evan!
Here's the thing about Travis...he is an attention hog. He doesn't mean to be, he's just really social and hates playing by himself. He loves people, and I love this about him! But what that has always meant for me is that he tends to monopolize my time by always wanting me to play with him/help him/watch him/you get the picture. And yes, I say no sometimes, because I have 2 other kids, a husband, and a house to manage! But now I know that Travis is learning and having fun...and I'm able to focus on the other people/things without always having to say no to him.
It makes me smile to think about how proud I am of Travis. I know he was a little nervous about his first day. He had already seen his classroom and briefly met his teacher once, but really, he was walking into brand new territory with so many unknowns...yet he walked bravely into his classroom with a smile on his face! I hope he can face all the challenges in his life with such bravery and trust.
This picture makes me laugh. I told Travis to "smile" and he said "I can't!" The sun was totally blinding, so we moved inside for the pictures.
Very proud of his Toy Story backpack and lunch bag.
In front of his school. This is his "I'm a little nervous" face :)
The wave goodbye. Makes me want to hug him :)
5 comments:
You had sun for your first day of school! It was really raining hard when Franklin Pierce started.
Glad Travis is enjoying school.
Nora
I will not blame the pregnancy hormones on my blubbery mess after reading this. I think this sends any parent with the thought of sending their kids off to school into a crying mess. Thanks for sharing - growing up happens so quickly. Love you guys! Michele
Oh my goodness, what a big boy! He looks so handsome in his little uniform, too.
Oh he is such a big boy! This grandma is proud of him but also proud of his mom...she's such a good mom! Mom
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