You guys, she's going into 1st grade. How did this even happen? She's going to be 6 in just a few weeks, and I'm honestly floored.
Yesterday morning, I helped Bailey prepare for her graduation much like a mother helps her daughter get ready on her wedding day. She sat up in bed just before 7am and I heard her yell, "Yay! Today is a special day!" There was the slipping on of her graduation dress, oh so carefully. The buckling of her dressy sandals. The curling of her hair. The sweep of gloss that she just had to have on her lips. Every step of the getting-ready process was an exciting one for her, and when I dropped her off at school she couldn't get out of the car fast enough, so eager to meet her classmates and get the graduation show on the road.
Our family took up an entire row in the gym. Before the kids started their procession, a slide show played for the parents. Picture after picture of our kindergarteners throughout the year set to music that {I'm sure} was meant to be upbeat and happy, but that made me tear up instead. Sending her off to school this year was one of the hardest things I've done as a parent {silly, I know} and I used to worry about her every day. Is she having fun? Is she making friends? Is she eating enough? Drinking enough? Does she miss me? Is she sad? My anxiety was relentless. But then here was this slideshow with picture after picture of my girl and all of her friends. Playing on the playground. Holding the baby chicks that their class hatched this spring. Wearing smocks in art class. Dancing around the classroom. Reading books. In every picture of Bailey on that slideshow she wore a smile on her face. Every one. She was fine. More than fine.
Pomp and Circumstance played. Honestly, how do parents hold it together when their kids march to that? It was adorable. One by one, our 5 and 6 year olds processed through the doors to the gym and down the aisle to take their place in front of the stage.
There are four kindergarten classes, and each child was called on-stage individually to shake hands with the principal and to hug/high five/shake hands with their respective teachers. Bailey's name was called, and she walked across that stage like she owned the place.
The kids performed a few songs for the parents, complete with hand motions and shimmying of the hips. Bailey was, strangely enough, shy for the first few songs but once the third and final song played she got into it. It's her favorite and the one she'd been talking about and practicing at home for weeks.
The entire ceremony took less than an hour and the kids were all dismissed right after. Bailey was so proud of herself, and I'm so thankful to her teacher. Ms. Bono doesn't know it, but I was hard on her this year. In the beginning, I didn't agree with the way she handled some issues in the classroom. I complained about the lack of information she gave us, and generally started the year off being one of those pain in the ass parents that I hate.
Growth is a process.
In retrospect, I was wrong. She is a good teacher and she was good to my daughter. Bailey loves her and has nothing but positive things to say about her, and I wish that I had spent the beginning of the year listening to the wonderful things Bailey had to say about her rather than letting my own worries and anxieties color the way that I felt about her. Bailey had a fantastic Kindergarten experience. She learned so much and made so many friends and has become such a confident learner. And I have her teacher to thank for that. Because of the experience that Ms. Bono gave her in Kindergarten, Bailey is looking forward to first grade. She's excited about school. She's reading and writing and becoming a more creative and thoughtful thinker, and for that I'm grateful. I'm happy...thrilled, even...that Bailey spent this year with a teacher who saw her for the amazing little person that she is, and fostered that in her. I only hope that Bailey is as lucky in the teacher department next year.
There are just 2 half days left in this school year, and then she'll officially be a first grader. She's come so far in the past 9 months, and I truly can't wait to see what she does next year. I know she's going to be incredible. Look out, world. Here she comes!
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