Saying Good-bye to a Season
My oldest child officially started kindergarten this week.
To be fair, we are homeschooling, so I am not having to drop him off at a building and drive away and entrust his life to other adults for several hours, five days a week. I still am around him almost always and have a fair amount of say regarding how he spends his days.
Yet, this is a definite shift in our relationship in the sense that, the baby and toddler seasons are over for him.
He's a big kid.
He and I both needed to use the restroom yesterday so, per usual, I took him in with me. He went in a separate stall and then washed his hands and waited for me outside. As I was washing my hands I noticed other little girls in the restroom with me, the same age as my son, washing their hands... without their parents.
It dawned on me... I can send him into the boys' bathroom without me.
(I know that not all situations are ideal for this, but at the church building where our homeschool co-op meets, it's totally fine.)
But, nevertheless, gone are the days of him needing me quite so much. He is growing in independence. He can, for the most part, get himself snacks, get ready for the day, pack a bag, help me take care of his brother and sister and even buckle and unbuckle his seat belt.
The baby and toddler seasons are over for him.
Part of me is, admittedly, a little sad and a little wistful. Maybe I didn't cherish him as much because I was too busy having his younger siblings. Maybe I didn't cuddle enough or speak enough kind words.
But most of me, admittedly, is excited. He's getting bigger and developing his own personality. He has his own interests and preferences... and it's neat to see all of that develop.
I don't want to turn into one of the old ladies at the grocery store wagging my wrinkled finger at the new moms, lamenting the loss of childhood and warning them to savor every moment. It's okay to be excited about the new adventures of big kid land. But, knowing and seeing for myself that, yes, it definitely flies by, I hope to be even more intentional to savor every moment.
To be fair, we are homeschooling, so I am not having to drop him off at a building and drive away and entrust his life to other adults for several hours, five days a week. I still am around him almost always and have a fair amount of say regarding how he spends his days.Yet, this is a definite shift in our relationship in the sense that, the baby and toddler seasons are over for him.
He's a big kid.
He and I both needed to use the restroom yesterday so, per usual, I took him in with me. He went in a separate stall and then washed his hands and waited for me outside. As I was washing my hands I noticed other little girls in the restroom with me, the same age as my son, washing their hands... without their parents.
It dawned on me... I can send him into the boys' bathroom without me.
(I know that not all situations are ideal for this, but at the church building where our homeschool co-op meets, it's totally fine.)
But, nevertheless, gone are the days of him needing me quite so much. He is growing in independence. He can, for the most part, get himself snacks, get ready for the day, pack a bag, help me take care of his brother and sister and even buckle and unbuckle his seat belt.
The baby and toddler seasons are over for him.
Part of me is, admittedly, a little sad and a little wistful. Maybe I didn't cherish him as much because I was too busy having his younger siblings. Maybe I didn't cuddle enough or speak enough kind words.But most of me, admittedly, is excited. He's getting bigger and developing his own personality. He has his own interests and preferences... and it's neat to see all of that develop.
I don't want to turn into one of the old ladies at the grocery store wagging my wrinkled finger at the new moms, lamenting the loss of childhood and warning them to savor every moment. It's okay to be excited about the new adventures of big kid land. But, knowing and seeing for myself that, yes, it definitely flies by, I hope to be even more intentional to savor every moment.
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