First Day of Kindergarten

First Day of Kindergarten

First Day of Kindergarten

My youngest had his first day of kindergarten today. It did not go as smoothly as my oldest son’s first day of kindergarten two years ago.

It did not go according to plan. I was juggling two drop offs for two kids at the same school. So when I walked my oldest son to his classroom, my kindergartener broke down in tears.

It’s painful to watch your child cry on the first day of kindergarten.

Heavy Heart

As planned, I did not cry, but I can feel the tears inside of me and my heart is heavier than normal. Walking home from school this morning I realized why. My heavy heart is not sadness, it’s the “Not Knowing”. It’s the control freak inside of me not knowing HOW my baby is doing in kindergarten today. It’s not knowing if he’s okay, if he’s happy, if he’s making friends, etc.

I’m sure the answer to all these questions is YES! But I’d like confirmation.

Motherly Instincts

I’d like to think it’s some biological instinct.

  • Maybe it’s an animal instinct related to not being able to protect your child at every given moment.
  • Maybe it’s the mommy instinct of knowing your baby is not a baby anymore.
  • Maybe it’s an ego instinct, knowing my baby is 5 and I still have not lost my pregnancy weight.
  • Maybe it’s an empty nest instinct because before I know it, my boys will be out of the house and going to college.

Goodness, sending a child to kindergarten can sure get a mom’s head to spin out of control.

Finding the Present Moment

So, I’ll take my own advice based on the blog post I wrote when my second grader entered kindergarten:

  • Be in the present.
  • Cherish the precious innocence of what he was experiencing as a kindergartener.
  • Honor where my son is in his life.
  • Celebrate his move into the bigger world.

Have you experienced taking your child to kindergarten? Did you cry? Were you emotional?

Have you discovered your own balancing act of giving your child freedom while also protecting him/her from the world?

One Week Old

My Kindergartener at One Week Old

Showing 4 comments
  • Michael

    When my son went for the first time to the kindergarten I cried so much…it was so difficult for me…a lot more than it was for him…actually he was so excited meeting his new friends and playing around..
    Michael from 3D Animation Jobs

  • Amy M.

    Oh that mix of emotions! I’m still having them and it’s day 3. 🙂 I got to a point yesterday where I started wondering if she actually realizes she will be going to school almost everyday. We’ll see how things go by the end of this week. It’s still such a new change.

  • Stacey

    Today is the first day of kindergarten for my little girl. It didn’t turn out as I had hoped either. I wanted to walk her to her class room but because of unexpected issues, I wasn’t able to wait with her this morning. I had to leave her in the auditorium with a teacher and some older children a 1/2 hour early and then drive my husband and myself to work. It’s a rainy day plus my camera wasn’t working so I only managed to get one picture of her and not any more which was a huge disappointment. I dropped her off and half-heartedly left once I knew she was safe and supervised. I cried all the way to work (20 miles) and went through a box of tissues (not a full box) at work. I’m a bit teary. I have older children and have gone through this first day of school before but this is my baby – the other two are much older and out of school now – my middle child just graduated from high school in June. I guess the biggest disappointment of this day was the fact that I wasn’t able to stay with her and walk her to her class room and then gently leave her with her teacher and her classmates. My husband called the school and spoke with our daughters teacher. Her teacher said she was fine and no tears at all. It was me that experienced the waterworks today. I am leaving early today to pick her up from school. I’m sure she is fine and will have a great day and have so much fun. I never expected I would be the emotional one today. I just wanted to share my exerience with my daughter on her first day of kindergarten. ? Stacey K.

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