Last Tuesday Olivia started kindergarten. I can't believe my baby is a kindergartener. I think it was harder on me than it was on her...I don't know why the moment felt so bittersweet. After all, she already had two years of preschool under her belt, so this was no big deal, right? Maybe not for Liv, but for mommy, this was huge. My baby isn't a baby anymore...She is becoming more independant each and every day. Lucky for me, Liv still likes to be babied, and needs me to brush her teeth, wipe her butt, buckle her seatbelt...You get the idea! (Wait, did I really just say "lucky for me" I get to wipe my almost five year old's butt???) Oh, and did I mention she still sleeps in my bed...Maybe she's not so grown up after all! I digress...Back to the first day of kindergarten...
Liv picked out her first day outfit from all of the new clothes that I bought her for school. She, of course, did not want any part of back to school shopping. "You just buy my clothes, mama." she informed me when I asked if she wanted to go school shopping with mommy. Let me just say, it is not easy to find appropriate clothes for a five year old these days! I did manage to find enough outfits for her to last the first week (and maybe a little more) of school.
We packed her new backpack and her new lunchbox the night before so we would be ready bright and early. After taking the requisite first day of school photos, we headed to Liv's new school. She even sweetly posed for pictures in front of the door. When we got there, a little girl said hi to Olivia and waved. Livvie, being the shy girl that she is, hid behind me, even after I tried to coerce her to at least say hello. When her new teacher came to get the class, we walked the hall to her new locker. I can't believe my baby has her own locker! I was already tearing up just thinking about leaving her. We put all of her things away and checked out her new desk and classroom. There were little, one sentence per page books on each child's desk. The boy next to Liv picked his up and began to read it. Uh oh...Liv doesn't know how to read at all. A few minutes later, the kids all sat criss-cross-applesauce on the rug and listened intently to the teacher explaining the lunch routine. Then they all stood up to say the Pledge of Allegiance. Olivia doesn't even know what the Pledge is...Strike two for us! I'm feeling like a very inadequate parent now...Of course the boy who can read, can also recite the Pledge. He can probably do long division too! After all, this is kindergarten! Thankfully, there's a little girl in the doorway clung to her mom, crying...Phshew! There are other normal kids here, too. Maybe they aren't all little Einsteins!Soon it was time for the parents to leave. I kissed Liv goodbye, and told her to have a great day, and she gave me a great big smile and waved. I knew she would be okay, but I was not. Tears welled up in my eyes as I walked away from her classroom. This was a momentous day for both of us, and somehow she was holding up much better than I.
Daddy picked her up from school the first day, and in typical Olivia fashion, she was quite tight lipped about her first day of school. I was able to later pry bits and pieces of random information about her day, but it wasn't easy. She made friends with the girl who first said hi to her, and the one who was crying, so I felt at peace. My little girl survived her first day of school, and couldn't wait to go back:-)
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