First Day of School

Today was the first day of Kindergarten for O.  She was nervous, excited, nervous, excited, nervous, excited...I was excited and nervous for her.  To make the morning go smooth, we made a morning "to  do list" last night.  It began with waking up, getting dressed, eating breakfast and ended with getting on the bus.  She posed for a pic with her dog, Wally and was all around happy.  Her daddy and I walked her to the bus stop.

But when the bus pulled up, she began to cry.  She didn't want to get on.  She clung to me.  She wanted nothing to do with that big yellow truck on wheels.  Who can blame her, right?  So I scooped her up, placed her in the seat next to her neighborhood friends and requested their help in getting her to the right classroom.

It took every ounce of courage for me to tell O, "I have to do this".  I gave a kiss, a hug, a kiss on each hand.  I placed her hands to her cheeks and I walked off the bus.  I waited on the curb until the bus pulled away and then I cried all the way home.  I knew she would be fine, but the trauma of not being there to comfort her was painfully heartfelt.  My husband walked in the door and poured a couple shots of tequilla and two jager-bombs and headed off to start our days. (JK)

He went to work and I called my Godmother, Patty Ann.  She listened and took it all in and then told me that she's proud of me cause if I didn't feel the way I felt, I wouldn't be a mother who truly cared.

After hanging up with her, I was also enlightened (or maybe still a bit tipsy) over coffee by some friends who were mom's at O's preschool.  I realized, as parents, we are all in the same boat and if I'm going to sink, I'm sure glad I will be sinking with my husband and friends in my life who cry with me, laugh with me and allow me to laugh at myself.

Just a little later, a girlfriend called to tell me she saw O as she arrived at school and she was just fine.  Wonderful, so am I, but Kindergarten SUCKS!