He's soo ready and excited to go, which is great. I've been really excited too. We went and met his teacher yesterday and got to look around his classroom. Only after that did it become real. And I'm the tiniest bit sad. Still excited, but also a little sad. We have a super special parent/child relationship and I'm going to miss him. He starts on Tuesday!

I remember those days. It's certainly a mix of emotions. Be sure to take a hanky with you. It's hard on the parents, but the kids are just starting their grand adventure!

I love the idea of it being the beginning of his grand adventure. When I went to kindergarten my mom called it "the beginning of the end".



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/23/2014 12:51AM by NewPerspective.

Our oldest (and only) started this week. Yay kindergarten!

So my oldest will start kindy and my youngest, who has to be like his big brother, will start preschool. I never did preschool with the older one. I'm scared it's going to get emotional!

(Good luck with your kindergartener!)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/23/2014 12:52AM by NewPerspective.

It will be emotional the first day, but after that, you're going to LOVE it!

Take a photo of him outside the school on the first day. I wish all of you a happy new school year!

Thank you guys!

And good idea about the photo!!!

Take photos on the first day every year! We did that, and I love going back looking at them.

It is bitter sweet. You are so happy and proud to see them grow but it is the first step to them leaving. It is a reminder to not JUST be a mother but to continue with your own interests and pursuits. And don't forget to keep working on your relationship with your husband, one day they will be out of the nest.

I was at the fabric store today and a woman was there with her grown daughter and they were going to make a quilt out of the grand daughters baby/kids clothes. First Day of School outfit you may want to keep for something like that in the future :). It IS a Special Day.

That quilt is a great idea. Ah! I'm starting to get emotional now.

I am planning to go back to school when both my boys are in full day school. Utah has half days of kindergarten, which is strange to me. Only problem is I don't know what I want to do with myself anymore! Maybe this will be a good time for me to find something that really interests me. :)

I loved kindergarten. Of course in those days it was all about the finger painting, we didn't learn stuff until first grade.

I don't know if my mother was sentimental about it or not....I was the youngest so she was losing her little helper, but she always used to say that Mother's Day was not in May, but the day after Labor Day (when school started when I was a kid).

My baby just started kindergarten. It's been an emotional few weeks! Good thing I start my new job soon. Crazy how fast 5 yrs goes by eh?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/22/2014 06:42PM by Cheryl.

Meh...kindergarten is nothing. Wait about ten years when one day you look at him and he is taller than you, his voice is getting deeper, he starts growing man hair, and he doesn't want you to touch him. Haaaa haaaaa, that's when you will freak out.

With him being excited to go, he will have a good time. When you take him to school on Tuesday try to keep it together and don't be too hurt if he says something like "O.K. mom...you can go now."

They grow up fast. Love on them as much as you can while you still can. I never thought I would miss being able to pick up and hold my kids as much as I do.

Man, how fast the time goes by. It seemed like yesterday
my oldest son started kindergarten. Tonight we will be going
to a parent night at WSU.

Good luck to you and your kid. Enjoy them while they're young.
I sure did with mine!

Ooh I am really not ready for them to be taller than me, stronger than me, smarter than me!

Good thing it'll be a few years, although both (3 and 5 years) are sometimes smarter than me already! Scary!
:)

5 years really has flown by. I never thought we'd actually get to this point. I kinda thought he'd stay little forever.

My oldest started kindergarten last week. I was so nervous for him, but he didn't seem to mind. It is a mixture of emotions to watch them grow and move on with life. Good luck with your kindergartner!

Good luck to you too! :)

I had taken a poll of "big kids" in the neighborhood and none of them had anything good to say about kindergarten.

I could already read pretty well (I could read comic books without help) and my father told me there was a library at school where you could borrow books, read them, and then give them back and get new ones, for FREE! I thought that was pretty cool, so I agreed to go.

I remember waiting for what seemed like a long time for the teacher to say something about going to the library. (This was after I pretended not to speak English, so I would get kicked out and sent home, but the principal lived in my neighborhood and ratted me out.) The teacher made us sit on a rag rug and read a story to us, which I thought was boring, as I could read much faster than she did.

I finally asked her when we would be allowed to read for ourselves, because that's all I was interested in. She replied coldly, "We don't read until first grade." I asked, "Well, can we go to the library?" She said that kindergartners were not allowed in the library.

That was enough. I headed for the door again, fully intending to leave until "next year."

Teachers were allowed to shake you in those days, by the shoulders, until your teeth rattled, and she did so. I bit her for doing that, because it made my neck hurt. She called the principal - AGAIN - and told him I had bitten her. She had the toothmarks on her arm to show for it, too. I had done a thorough job, and was proud of it.

We trooped back to the principal's office. I told him very angrily that I had only agreed to attend because my dad had promised that you learned to read in school, and the teacher said we wouldn't read until NEXT YEAR, so there was no reason for me to come back this year. And besides, I might find occasion to bite the teacher again if she was mean.

The principal told me very solemnly that teachers were not for biting, but said he would speak to her about shaking me. (She never did it to me again.) He did, however, say that it was the law that kids had to go to school once they turned five, even if they COULD already read, and there wasn't anything any of us could do about it.

I truly hated kindergarten, and did my best not to participate in anything.

because of my birthday. I went to first grade when I was 5 1/2.

Liked the teacher, hated reading Dick and Jane books (the most boring books ever written) since I already knew how to read.

And reading is pretty much all I wanted to do all the time.

That sounds like an awful experience!! My oldest asked us not to teach him to read because he wanted to learn in kindergarten.
Which I was totally okay with for several reasons, the biggest one being that I'd heard kids who already know how to read in kindergarten get BORED.
Sounds like it's true!!
He's pretty smart and could probably read if he had the desire, but I'm going to let his teacher deal with it. :)

You young ones are just starting. My second great grandson starts pre-K on Monday. Pretty soon they will be graduating and leaving the nest then you will wonder about the speed of time passing.

I'm already amazed at how quickly 5 years has gone by!! :)

Off the top of my head:

1. Don't build it up as if school is a trip to the circus and a daily party. Remember that everyone gets through this and usually does well. Be relaxed and as matter of fact as possible.

2. Don't look to your child to comfort you because of your empty nest feelings. Be the adult and let them know you're there for them and you'll always try to help and support them.

3. Don't jump in over every little snag. Yes, do help with serious problems but trust your child to deal with the small stuff and grow from it. Social growth is as important as academic. Parents can't do it *for* or *instead* of their a child.

4. Don't assume you know what happens because you were once in that grade. Call and ask questions so you're not making promises or misrepresenting what happens at school. Kids can be primed for the crackers, milk, rest time, play and games their parents describe and feel cheated when they arrive with none of that happening.

5. Let you child know that the days might seem very long and tiring at first, but will quickly improve when they're most used to the situation.

6. Try to be on time for school and pick up after school. Be sure your child knows how they'll get home and what to do if plans don't work out. They need to know they can find their teacher or any worker in the office and ask for help.

7. Know that your child is capable of dealing with the school day and give them your trust and encouragement. Sometimes they don't like to talk about their day and other times they might want a sounding board and never stop talking. Try to be flexible and follow their lead.

Kindergarten is a challenge and growing experience for children, parents, and teachers. It's life at it's most raw, challenging, and charming.

Great advice! Thank you!!

Ew. I hate the idea of school. I still have nightmares about it. So many years Wasted.

I'm very close to seeing my first great grandchild. Try that one on for size!

I was 61 when my first great grand was born. I went around shaking my head, weeping and wailing about how I'm too young to be a great grandpa. I had to get over it all because by the time number two rolled around they came to live with us. Gosh, having little ones in the house reminds why the young are supposed to be raising the babes.