Today was a big day in our family’s household, as we ushered off our oldest son to his first day of full-day kindergarten. Up to this point in his life, it has been the responsibility of my wife and I to shape him into a boy with manners, love, and respect. It was our job to teach him right from wrong, to learn to eat with a fork and not his hands, and to put his shoes on the right feet. To love his family and respect the space of strangers. We showed him about traveling and meeting people, and that fighting with his younger brother has consequences. We instilled that we eat something healthy in the morning before cookies, and that we eat together at the dinner table every night. There are many life lessons still to be learned, and today that process starts to come from someone else too.
Our son is growing up, which is a good thing, and learning to be more independent. It is now time for him to leave the parental environment and be taught by teachers everything he will need to know to grow up into an adult at school.
This dad is excited for the future, and looks his son in the eyes with amazement (and tears) for the future. I am proud of what I think we have accomplished. I also now know what my mother felt at this very moment, instantly connecting me with so many other parents before me. Like so many experiences in life, no one can explain this moment until you have actually lived it.
As we ushered him off to the school bus, I felt nervousness for him, going on a big bus, alone, with kids he has never met before. What must he be thinking? He was excited for the adventure, with his snack and water bottle all ready to go along with his new backpack and clothes, but we are sure there was a little apprehension for the new environment.
As I sit here at work, I picture his curly hair bouncing along as the bus pulls away, taking my son on the journey, as I learn to accept my son is now in someone else’s hands, responsible for teaching him new lessons. I picture him getting off the bus, loaded into school, and being shown the structure of how his days will work from now on. Knowing him, I am sure a girl or two in the class may strike his fancy, and there will be new boys that complement him on his choice of Skylanders backpack.
His teachers are blessings, being able to take so many kids and shape them into little people with new talents and desires.
Millions of parents have been on this path before us. Yet it is a new adjustment for our family, making it hit home a little more today. Tonight I will squeeze him a little tighter and sneak an extra kiss or two in, as I try and get him to tell us about what he learned today.
Take care of him bus driver, teachers, and school personal. I am equally as excited to change as a dad as he is a student. Soon our days will be filled with homework and hearing about his friends. Just let him never forget how much his father loves him and how proud he is of his accomplishments!
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