One mom’s first-day jitters

The sweetest email popped up in my inbox last Thursday morning. It was from my friend Kate, and the subject was: Gabe's first day of school. Attached were two adorable photos of her little guy standing outside of his new school. Her message read: "My baby flew the coop today... this morning was our first day of kindergarten."

I couldn't help but reply immediately to ask her how it went, what it was like, if she held it together. "Monumental is the only way to describe it," she wrote. "I was nervous with butterflies the whole walk there. It wasn't that I was worried about him or how he'd do; I was freaked that that my baby really wasn't a baby anymore. This was the defining moment of him becoming a "kid." Not a baby, not a toddler, but a kid."

She continued, "After I dropped him off and he went in (his teacher doesn't let the parents in—they're too emotional), I couldn't stop worrying. Suddenly I was projecting all of my fears onto him: Will the other kids like him? Is he dressed okay?"

As it turns out, Kate was more nervous than brave little Gabe, who, at the end of his very first day of school, simply "sauntered out like it was nothing."

For more perspective on how parents of kindergartners deal with this milestone, check out Big Day. And don't forget to read through our Back-to-School Guide for tips on everything from throwing a back-to-school party to delicious sandwich ideas.

See you next time,

Lisa Goldman
Todaysparent.com

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