First day of Kindergarten.
Ya, ya, I know, it's practically Halloween and I am only just now getting around to posting about something that happened two whole months ago. It's been just a tad busy I guess.
Parker's first day of school was on August 26.
He is in Miss Akovenko's class and goes 2-3 full days of school every week.
I will admit it was a little surreal to be sending my once tiny, almost always screaming, child that I didn't spend more than an hour away from his entire first 18 months of life to kindergarten. How did that even happen? How did I get that old? But more importantly how did HE get that old?
It really does go by too quick.
I think we so often get caught up in hurrying to get somewhere, hurrying to get to the weekend, hurrying to get done with the month, hurrying to get to potty training, hurrying to get done with school and so on that we almost forget to enjoy all the time that passes while we spend life hurrying!
Anyone else there?
I'm trying. SOOOO HARD to step back and just enjoy life.
While I can't really say I will ever miss going to school myself, I can say that I will miss my kids at this age, and it just so happens that be going to school occurs concurrently with my kids at this age so I need to just enjoy everything about this time, and unfortunately that means school too :(
But the real story here is that while I am wrapping up my school life, my oldest little boy (oxy moron I know) is just starting his. And what an exciting adventure that is!!
I got up early on purpose hoping to make him a delicious breakfast of eggs, bacon and toast, you know the food that sticks in your stomach and makes you think.
He was disappointed a bit because he wanted cereal. Ha ha. oh well.
We decided that everyone got up a little too early because even after pictures we spent a good amount of time standing around waiting.
It was during this time that we realized that Parker was being very quiet.
And then it all of a sudden dawned on both Eric and I at the same moment.
This little boy, who although we treat like an adult is really still a small child not even a tenth of the way through life, is scared.
I felt terrible for not thinking of it before now.
This little boy just barely turned six. Yet sometimes I think we put the weight of the world on his shoulders. Because he's the oldest and has spent life with a sister who was so sick for so long he was forced to grow up a bit faster than he probably should have been. We rely on him so much, but maybe we put too much pressure on him. "Stop crying, Parker! You're six years old, act like it!!!" But yet, EXACTLY! He's six years old! Of course he can still cry! What six year old doesn't! To assume that he shouldn't cry is a gross over exaggeration of his age. I want him to be young. I want him to be little. I want him to experience his younger years and get to be a kid. And sometimes that will mean crying.
After a very tender moment between father and son involving a hug and some tears, Parker was back to being the very adult, collected self and was ready for school.
And then he went. We drove him, dropped him off, gave him a hug, and watched this little boy, who to us is so big at home, but looking at him as he walked to his class his little backpack took up almost his entire body and the kids who walked next to him seemed almost double his size, walk to school.
I love this Parker Jackson so much and can't wait to see what his school career leads him to.
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