Welcome Kindergarten!

Our family has begun a new chapter.  "Real" school.  Luke started kindergarten yesterday and I  confess I didn't let him go without a flood of tears.  They started months ago.  Here's a short list of my tearful moments:

- When I dropped him off for his last day of pre-k back in May

- When he graduated pre-k in May

- When I ordered his school uniforms in June

- When I shopped for school supplies a few weeks ago (yep, right in the middle of Target!)

- Walking into the "Meet and Greet" the day before kindergarten

- The night before kindergarten

Yes, that's the short list.  So you're thinking I was a hot mess when the morning actually arrived, right?  Well, be proud because I held it together and I owe it all to this little guy.  

During breakfast, Luke actually had a flood of tears come over him too.  He crawled on my lap and sobbed.  Really sobbed.  It was not a whiny cry but more of a complete emotional release.  The anticipation of the day and the new beginning had overcome him.  Somehow, I managed to contain myself and give my little rockstar a pep talk without a single tear from myself.  I reminded him of all the hard work he had done in preschool to prepare for kindergarten.  We talked about all the things we had practiced this summer together.  I knew once it was "go time" his usual confidence would reveal itself but sometimes even the bravest of us need a little encouragement.  

When we pulled up to school, I was still undecided as to whether I would walk him in or drop him off in the carpool, which was highly recommended by the staff.  I was debating with myself out loud when Luke suddenly said, "Mom, I want to do carpool.  It will be fun to try something new."  So we did.  He hopped out wearing the biggest smile! Somehow, I think he knew that walking into that big school might be too much for me to handle.  He was right.

When I was finally out of sight, I cried.  Okay, I sobbed.  I wasn't prepared for this day to get here but I knew Luke was perfectly fine inside. Shortly after drop off, the parents joined the kids for chapel service.  Afterwards, I caught a glimpse of him walking out and he proudly waved to me.   I waved back without a single tear and snapped a photo.  Then, I saw another little boy (who was crying) run into his mother's arms, which in turn made her break out in tears.  I was relieved I didn't have to bear that and my heart ached for her.  Once more I yelled goodbye to Luke but he was too focused on staying in line with his new friends.  He didn't turn around again.

At that moment, I decided there would be no more tears.  Only smiles and happy waves.  Luke was ready to go on a new adventure and I didn't want to miss the ride.