The Bug begins kindergarten this fall. Can you believe it? (I can't.) After picking him up from daycare this week, I asked if he wanted to stop by and check out a school in our neighborhood. Maybe we can get a nickel-tour.
I said. It was a gorgeous day and the school was only a few blocks out of our way.
The lady there at the office seemed very nice, but offered no such tour since school was "in session."
She informed me however (holding out a flyer printer on lime-green paper), that an 'orientation' for parents was scheduled for Friday (yesterday).
So I went. There I found 50 or 60 parents assembled in an auditorium.
The idea of kindergarten, I must confess, is kinda freaking me out. Seems like just yesterday I was changing his poopy diapers. Now we're looking at kindergarten? What happened? Where did the time go?
Yesterday's orientation class made me realize my baby is growing up .. a little too fast if ya ask me. Sometimes I push down on his head and tell him, Stop growing!
He says, Dad, even when you push on my head, I'm still growing.
(Well, stop it,
I said.)
Weird feeling it is. Can't quite wrap my mind around the idea of him heading off to kindergarten. The idea makes my heart heavy. End of the early years. People have long been telling me that they're small for only a short time. And to enjoy it while it lasts. Well, here we are.
••• today's entry continues here below •••
The Bug, on the other hand, seems perfectly fine with the idea of starting kindergarten. I'm the one who's freaking out. [ Taking a few deep breathes right now. ] Things are moving too fast.
On our way home from the new school, we rode our bikes past a lady watering plants in her front yard. She lives around the corner from the school. I was explaining to the Bug how this particular school was only for kindergarten, 1st & 2nd grade .. and how he'd go to another school for 3rd, 4th & 5th. Then to a middle school after that.
Is that when I'll be driving a car?
he asked. No, that's not until HIGH school,
I said. The lady was smiling as we approached. She never looked up from her watering. So she appeared to be smiling at her flowers when she called out, It goes real fast.
Oh, we were just checking out kindergarten,
I assured her .. meaning that we have lots of time before he'll be driving.
She kept smiling with that knowing look, hose in hand. It goes real fast,
she repeated.
