Goodbye Kindergarten | 5 Lessons Mom Learned
Happy Friday, everyone! I write today’s Family Focus Friday with a tear in my eye as I realize a milestone that has come to pass. Kindergarten. Has it really come to an end so quickly? I swear it was just yesterday that I sent my frightened little boy on the bus for his adventure. And through all of the knowledge and learning that my son has gained for this year, it was I that left Kindergarten with some important life lessons. What a difference a year makes. I say goodbye to kindergarten with these 5 lessons I have learned this year.
1. Kindergarten is NOT Pre-K
I had already set myself of failure. Doomed to compare kindergarten to the horrible Pre-K experience we had, I was ready for my son to come home with tears, dashed dreams and failed ambitions. It was so hard to put Pre-K behind in my mind, especially for those first few weeks. Would this teacher be the same as our last? It wasn’t until this last week when I realized that I rarely ever thought about Pre-K anymore. No longer a nagging memory, I saw so much more hope in our school, the school system and restored faith in our teachers again. I shouldn’t ever compare one school year to the next. I know that now.
2. The School Bus Still Scares Me
Until the very last day, I found myself holding my breath until the school bus arrived. Remember The Scariest 45 Minutes of My Life? That is a memory that still haunts me. As finally the summer realization sinks in, I finally can let that breath go. If the bus was 5 minutes late, my heart would start to race. I would find myself standing on my tip toes trying to see his little head move through the aisle. I would panic every time the squeaky brakes of a bus was within earshot. I am afraid of a big yellow bus on wheels. Maybe the summer will finally give me time to heal.
3. I Was Never So Excited to Hear One Little Word
“How was your day?”
“GREAT!”
Great. A word I would never hear during preschool. That one little word was like music to my ears. I started to count those days in my head. 5, 15, 25, 40. Finally, I lost track. Great, a word now common and comparable to Kindergarten.
4. My Son Finally Loves School, As He Should
He loves school. Sounds so odd to me to say that, but not to other parents I’m sure. My 6 year old son finally loves school. And no other proof could be more real that his reflection book he took home from school. He wrote how much he would miss his class, his friends, his teacher. It was his words, written on paper, expressed so wonderfully. Happy. I was crying as I read his little stapled handbook with scribbled pictures of smiling little faces. I love school too.
5. First Grade Is Not So Menacing
For the first time ever, I have hope for the next school year. My son is excited to see what a new school year has to offer. There’s so much pride when he calls himself “officially a first grader.” A BIG kid. A pro. A leader of the pack. My boy just amazes me.
So goodbye, Kindergarten. We have learned so much this year. From forgotten lunches to ripped homework pages to last minute projects, no lesson was learned more than these this year. What a difference First Grade will make. And hopefully this year, only more hope for the future.
Is there anything you learned this year as a parent?
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beautifully written.
Time sure does fly by. Graduating Kindergarten is a huge milestone. This year I learned that my son is no longer a kid. He graduated high school and is now an adult.
This year has been blessedly benign. I haven’t learned anything AT ALL about parenting, and I’m okay with that. The kids are just coming into the years when I’m going to have to learn all kinds of patience.
My oldest is going into middle school next year and I am nervous about it. It’s gonna happen whether I like it or not, though.
Time just flies, doesn’t it? I can remember my kids graduating kindergarten. My youngest just graduated high school.
They really do grow so fast. Mine is a tween and I still remember Kindergarten, they made us sit and read for 6 months for the first 20 minutes of class and I will be grateful for that the rest of my life. Congrats on getting through it mom!
It goes by too fast! I can’t believe my daughter will be in middle school.
I cried when all three of my children started AND finished kindergarten, despite knowing what to expect. This year I learned that it can be just as emotional when your oldest graduates from elementary school.
This is so sweet. I can understand your fear of the school bus. Each school year is going to bring new obstacles and memories. I hope next year is even better for you. I’m so glad to hear that you have a good school system to send your kids to.
I’m sure you’ve heard of the book ‘Everything You Need to Know in Life you Learn in Kindergarten’ (if not don’t read it right now it’s a bit of a tear jerker), but it’s a big deal! A rite of passage. I’m sure he feels like a big kid now too!
I’m glad he finally likes school! Also, I have always been slightly scared of school buses since reading your story.
It’s amazing how fast time flies. You blink and the next thing they are going to college.
I just love how excited he looks! Congrats, mom of a 1st grader!
It’s great your little guy is in the swing of things now, he looks excited!
I’m glad he had a great year! My grandson will be starting Kindergarten next school year and I’ll admit I’m pretty nervous about it for him!
What a great post! This brought back lots of memories.
Awww what a great post. Love his pics too. Having a child with adhd/learning issues is very hard – especially when some people don’t take it seriously. There is nothing worse than having a child crying on your shoulder because she so desperately wants to learn and understand, but cant. That was something we’ve been dealing with this school year.
I loved your post. I can remember putting my daughter on the bus so many years ago for the first time and crying all the way up the drive-way and couldn’t wait for her to come. Waiting for the school bus to come was horrible, if it was a few minutes late, I was ready to call 911. Now I have grandchildren, who don’t ride the bus, but can walk to school and I still worry….
Enjoy time goes by so fast and then they are grown
I’m glad this year went so much better for you!
I hope you can get over your bus fear! I wish we had buses around here for our kids!
So glad all went well. They do grow fast.
Even though my kids are in their 40’s, I still learned something as a parent. It was not something fun, or even happy, but it was a lesson I needed to learn.
I learned to let stuff go. There is so much stuff to keep up with. I learned to forgive myself.
My 4 year old starts in September. I’m so not ready. This post definitely made me realize that!
That no matter what my kids still don’t like school but they are doing great in school. Great post.
I am so glad that this year at school was so much better. As moms we do not realize that we are being taught, just in a different way than our kids. Kids grow up so,fast.
My granddaughter is just starting kindergarten this year. I help my son raise my two grandkids so I really appreciated this article. Thank you so much for sharing
Just like we celebrate the 1st day of school with a picture- I like to take a picture at the end of the year, so we can remember just how much she’s grown! It’s fun to go back and compare!
Kids grow up to fast I have a 1st grader and kindergarten flew by to fast for me