We registered Cameron for Kindergarten this past week. In all the big things and transitions of parenting, this is one of those monumental milestones. Or, at least it feels that way to my husband. He’s feeling a little overwhelmed by this whole new stage.
Suddenly, we have a kid who isn’t so little anymore. We have someone who is ready to spend his days with teachers and kids his own age learning and playing. We have a kid who is moving on to the whole next stage of his life – one that will last at least thirteen more years and take him into his late teens. The baby stage is long over. The toddler stage is just a memory. And now, those preschool days are numbered. We’re right at the very edge of it being gone too.
Every few days we drive by the neighbourhood school and Dan will sigh. “I can’t believe he’s registered for kindergarten.”
But I can.
Cameron is bright and social and skillful. On a scale of one to get your backpack on, Cameron is definitely ready to go to school. My kid even finds math fun, for goodness sakes.
Of course, there are parts of this new stage that cause me anxiety, like what school he will go to and what program he will be in. If I want him in French Immersion, I need to apply for him to be transferred to an out of area school and pray that he gets one of those coveted spots. You can bet that I am feeling anxious about that process, and whether it really is the right decision to put him in a school a little further away and in a program to learn a new language.
And maybe I’ll worry about him on that first day of school as he walks into that new world all by himself, in a new building surrounded by new people. A Mama’s heart is built to worry about these things, even when they’re going to go amazing. Even though I am certain that kindergarten will be an amazing time for Cameron, I might even feel a little sad when the time comes because it will be so obvious I can’t slow life down, not even a little. But right now, I’m excited for him.
I loved school. I’m so thrilled to give my kid the experience to love it like I did. You should hear him talk about things he gets excited about! He will talk your ear off about Pokémon or Star Wars. My Dad recently asked him why he wasn’t using all this brain power to learn about more important things, but it is because he’s not in an environment to get excited about learning right now. (Also, I reminded my Dad that we all have passions that are important to us, even if they aren’t important to the rest of the world). I know that when he gets home from those first days of school, he’ll be showing off all the amazing things he has been learning, just like he does every time he “learns” about a new Pokémon by watching his favourite show.
Cameron deserves the world, and I am so excited to open that world up to him. I want him to have every opportunity, and by signing those kindergarten papers and brining them in to the school secretary, I am doing just that. While that process may have been too life-changing for my husband’s heart to endure right now, for me, it was wonderful.
Now, you can go to kindergarten, Cameron. Welcome to school. I excited to watch you learn. I can’t wait to see who you’ll become!
Netflix wants to open up a world of opportunities to our kids too. Sometimes, on days when the snow keeps falling and the temperatures are freezing and Mom is putting a lot of focus onto a new baby, there’s only so many ways that our kids can be inspired. Maybe they want to be a scientist like Sid the Science Kid or a firefighter like Fireman Sam or a palaeontologist like Dr. Scott from Dinosaur Train. The imaginative play ignited by these shows can lead to dreams and aspirations for an exciting future.
I am a member of Netflix’s Stream Team and as such I have been compensated with a complementary Netflix subscription and a few other perks. The stories and opinions are all my own and have not been bought.
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