Oh, Baby, Baby it's a Wild World

" Oh, baby, baby it's a wild world
It's hard to get by just upon a smile
Oh, baby, baby it's a wild world
I'll always remember you like a child" [Cat Stevens] 

Hear Cat Steven's Sing "Wild World"! 

Yesterday was Gideon's first day of Kindergarten.  As he is said, "He was so so so excited!" I felt like we had prepared for this day for weeks, or even months. We finally had the correct water bottle; he had a nice supply of school uniforms; he knows how to read a few words; he understands rudimentary addition and subtraction. He was ready!

But was mom ready? Up until now I have been able to control his world. I pick his friends, I watch him eat most of meals, I work with him on his morals and behavor. Now he will be spending 7.5 hours a  day at school. Was he ready?

I carefully chose his school- Gideon attends a school that focuses on reading (The goal of the school is that all children read at grade level. If a child cannot, they are automatically given extra help), but also has a strict behavior policy. Their school motto is "Do to others as you would have them do to you".  Which I like much better the typical school motto, ie: "There are no bad children only bad parents".

Yesterday morning I went to wake Gideon at 6:15am. We are not morning people. Gideon begged me to let him sleep a little longer so that "he could grow a little more." I told him to get up and start getting dressed," Today was the first day of Kindergarten." He dressed himself in his uniform and ate his breakfast. Percy was going in late that morning so that he could go with me to drop Gideon off at school. We loaded up into the car. When we got to school, he put his backpack on and we waited with the Reckes for the doors to open. We walked to his classroom- Immediately when he walked in, he scanned the wall for his name on the backpack rack and hung up his backpack. He went to his seat, sat down and begin coloring. I stepped back and just watched him- that was the point when I felt a little teary. Because I realized that he was very ready and so was I.


It was time. He had conquered his speech issues (mostly); we had his health under control (usually); and his behavior and listening skills had improved markedly. He was ready for the next step- learning how to cope in a world not created by his mommy. He is ready to be faced with moral dilemmas and to make his own choices. 

I realized I felt a little teary because I was proud of him.  He was a such a big boy and looked so handsome in his uniform. It does not make me sad that he was growing up- I am not one of those moms that want my children to stay babies forever. I enjoy my children more and more as they get older-

I am looking forward to upcoming years, and watching my kids mature, marry and have children of their own. But like the song says " I will always remember you as a child".