My son starts Kindergarten this fall. In the words of Chandler Bing, “Could I BE any more excited?!”
I am SO excited.
I understand that having your child start kindergarten is hard for many parents. But for me it’s not. And I am definitely uncertain about if this is the “best” choice for him, because he’s a summer baby and a boy, but guess what? I’m still really excited for him to be going to kindergarten.
In fact, when I heard my son’s kindergarten day is just shy of five hours, and not the usual three-ish hours that the rest of the district has, I had to hold back a cry of joy. I was dancing in my seat. I’m ready for kindergarten!
Now, before you judge or assume I don’t love my son. I promise you, I do. I love him so much like any mom does. And I am also SO excited for both of us that kindergarten is almost here.
Here’s why I’m excited for him:
- He loves learning (so far anyway). I am looking forward to him coming home and sharing the new things he’s learned about at school, and having questions I can’t answer, and then Googling together to find out more.
- He’s very social. This kid will walk up to people and just start chatting. We’re working on how you introduce yourself and other socially appropriate behaviors, but I’m so excited for the kids he’s going to meet.
- His school is awesome. We’re very lucky that not only are we in a good district, but our home school is great, as far as I can tell. If I had concerns about the school, his safety, or quality of education, I would certainly feel different, and I understand we’re at a place of privilege on this one. I don’t overlook that we’re very fortunate in this respect.
- He’s growing up. Yes, this is bittersweet, but my goal is to enjoy my children now and also raise them to be good people. Going to school is an important step in this; without me around he’ll learn to handle situations, navigate his feelings and experiences, and deal with other people. I love this. It will also help to show us where he might need some extra help and support.
Here’s why I’m excited for me:
- I get some time back. Again—don’t get me wrong, I love my son. I also love the other one who will still be home with me. But that little guy still naps so there will be some down time without anyone to worry about.
- I can get more work done. I’m a work-from-home mom, and it is tough. I enjoy what I do and I look forward to having more time available to work. My kids being in school is a light at the end of the tunnel.
- I’ll get to “learn” too. I swear my elementary school never taught me the locations of states or their capitals. I’m looking forward to learning (or being reminded of) some things that might actually help me as an adult.
- I think I will be a better mom. I’ll be honest—I’m not wired to be a stay-at-home mom and yet, I pretty much am. I know that when my kids are in school I’ll have time to work, take better care of the house, and get other chores done (like going to the grocery store) and not have the kids there too. When I can get all of these things done without my kids, I know I’ll be able to me much more present and stress-free when I’m with them. I look forward to that.
Kindergarten is the start of such an exciting time for kids, and I love that we’re here. I also love that he’s still little; that he’ll be willing to walk home holding my hand, and that we’ll have time together in the afternoons without much homework. Time will always go on, quicker than we’d like. I have a feeling that kindergarten will be one of the years that we both look back on and smile about—what’s not to be excited about?
