I can’t believe my oldest is starting Kindergarten this year! He’ll turn six two days after the first day of school and even though I’ve been calling him “almost six” for the last couple months, it’s still mind-boggling how he has grown up so fast. We even let him stay home the extra year to be sure he was emotionally ready for the school environment. In my head and heart, I know he’s ready. The day we went for Kindergarten testing, he was awestruck by everything and wanted to explore classrooms and hallways. He said the testing was “super easy.” He can’t wait to go and asks me how much longer until school starts. His excitement is contagious but like a lot of mom’s, I’m still teary-eyed and thinking about how bittersweet this all is. He’s my baby. I’ve been mostly a stay-at-home-mom all his life and he’s never been gone from me so long unless it was a trip to the grandparent’s or that one week he went to a summer daycamp. We’ve been fostering his independence but this is the big step, the moment where I let him go into the classroom and can’t coach him on how to make friends or when he should probably play by himself. The moment where I have to trust him to eat all his lunch, try his best, and behave the way we raised him. I better bring tissues on the first day of school because I will be that weepy, emotional mom that blots her eyes all the way back to the car.
Is your child starting school soon? Are you excited, nervous, or just a huge ball of jumbled of emotions like me?
Katie Smith is a family and couple portrait photographer located in Pittsboro, NC.
A mom of two boys, she knows how quickly kids grow and documents their ever-changing looks and personality through meaningful photographs.
You can find Katie Smith Photography on Facebook