First Day of Kindergarten

OK. I did cry. A little. After I dropped her off. She looked so unsure when I left - actually all the kids looked a bit shell-shocked. The classroom was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. I realized as I was there, how different this was than preschool. The building is huge. There are a ton of kids at school. The kids are all expected to know how they are getting home that day or if they are going to after-care. They come in, hang up their back-packs, wash their hands and tell the teacher that. Some kids said "bus" and their mom dropping them off would say "no, you're being picked up today". I was grateful once again for the kid that Miss E is. I know in the morning every day I can tell her what is happening after school and she will remember that and communicate it to her teacher.

As I left I wanted to give her about a million hugs and say "I love you" and "this will be OK - not just OK but great" but after about 2 of those people start looking at you funny. Including your kid. So I left, with a deep breath in my lungs, faith in my heart and some tears in my eyes.

Today I left her in the care of adults that I don't know. I have never done that before. See that guy driving the bus? I don't even know his name, have never even talked to him, yet he is driving my child around town. And I am letting him because I have faith that he is kind. And in fact, he did drive an extra loop around to give her a longer bus ride since it was the first day and she is the first stop. So I am grateful to him for that. For paying attention and making an effort. As for her, she was proud of herself for being so brave today. And I was proud of her for the same thing and proud of myself because, let me tell you, sending your kid off to kindergarten isn't for the faint of heart. (Unless you have older kids, then it probably doesn't seem like such a big deal. Or a lot of kids and you are ready to boot them all out of the house.)

A story from today:
Me: What were the rules you learned at circle time?
Her: If you want to say something you have to raise your hand and wait for the teacher to call your name. One kid rose his hand after that rule and when she called his name he said "fart". He was not being good.
Me: I guess not.