First Day of Preschool
“I’m so excited.”
“I’m a little scared.”
That’s okay baby, we all feel that way.
Just breathe and be brave.
I can’t tell you how it’s going to go,
But I do know there will be highs and lows.
You’ll make new friends.
You’ll learn new things.
You’ll spread those beautiful little wings.
You might miss mom.
You might miss dad.
Or your dogs,
Or even you guinea pigs.
But you’ll come home at the end of every day
With a whole slew of adventures to replay.
I’m so proud of you my little one.
I can’t wait to see you when the day is done.
A few tears leak down as we drive away,
I blink real fast trying to keep them at bay.
Second day and she goes right in.
Mommy didn’t cry, she held it in.
There she goes.
My whole little world.
She’s ready for this new adventure.
I hope I can be ready with her.
3 weeks in and I barely know what to say.
She’s a pro, she loves to play.
She’s going to change the world.
She’s already changed mine.
My own little sunshine.
They tell you not to blink because it goes by so fast. I always just laughed and rolled my eyes. Maybe I shouldn’t have done that either because here we are, I have a preschooler on my hands. As a former preschool teacher, this life event feels too real for me! I know that this is her first chance to fall in love with learning and school. A child’s relationship with school starts in Preschool; It’s where they test their abilities and really learn to manage their emotions and problem solve in social situations. This pandemic definitely brought a lack of consistent routine to our lives. We did our best, creating family rituals that we did weekly, and keeping our bedtime routine consistent but there was an obvious need for more. Arya was struggling emotionally, having more outbursts than usual and increased aggression. She really is the sweetest soul, so I knew this was affecting her deeper than even she understood. A lot of times we downplay our children’s need for consistency and routine. When they know what to expect on a consistent basis, they have an easier time managing all the transitions and changes happening around them. We had essentially pulled the rug out from Arya in March when our entire lives changed and it feels good to be able to give her back some sense of normalcy. The decision was not an easy one to make but Arya’s school has small class sizes, a mask policy, takes temperature checks and health screenings every single morning. She has truly been thriving since she started. She loves her teachers, classmates, and weekly nature walks!
I’m excited for her year to continue, regardless of what it brings.
Preschool is so cool!