Dear 2003 Mom,
Yowza… look at you! BIG day today; your first born child is finally heading off to her first day of Kindergarten. How fast does the time fly eh? Pretty damn fast, let me tell you.
Allow me to introduce myself; I’m 2016 Mom. Also known as You, in 13 years. And right now in 2016, we are knee deep in the shitstorm known as “Graduation.” So deep in fact, I thought I’d give you a heads up about a few things I had no idea about when that cute little kid toddled off to her first day of Kindergarten.
Those days I lovingly refer to as the “laughing time” as happening mostly in elementary school. Your kid’s tiny brain is going to be soaking up EVERY morsel of information she can possibly can, and with that comes endless questions and ultimately, endless fun. Learning is fun when you’re six years-old and you will find yourself making games of everything from words to math to geography, all in the hopes of teaching your Little Einstein a few knowledgeable nuggets. And you will be successful. Very, very successful. She adores you and everything about you. You will laugh almost daily. Cherish every single giggle.
Being a kid is tough - in fact, sometimes it sucks. We grew up in “the old days,” where we were blissfully unaware of the dangerous world outside and played outside with our friends until the street lights came on. There was no such things as an online world, where there were potential predators and cyberbullying to worry about but that is sadly not the case for your little one. Kids live in a different world now and yes, you are going to worry. Whether it’s about something that happened in school, or something that might be happening online, the worry will be there. But it’s not all bad - there’s a Worry Antidote you will discover by the time your kid is ready for middle school that will help you get through it. It’s called “talking”. Do it daily. Be relentless. Remember those days when you prayed your kid would just stop talking? You don’t want that to happen now.
Just a heads up: when your kid leaves elementary school and moves on to middle school, you’re going to avoid driving anywhere near the elementary school for about three months afterwards. Simply seeing it will conjure up memories of days spent there with your mini-me, playing in the playground after school with them, volunteering to be a reading buddy in the mornings or being one of the lunchtime “Duty Moms” in the oh-so-fabulous neon yellow reflective safety vest, complete with walkie talkie. Reminiscing is bittersweet and takes a little getting used to. But don’t worry, you’ll pull through. You got this.
I’m going to be brutally honest here; a lot of that crying will happen in Education Year 13 - aka “GRAD YEAR.” That year is one of humongous changes for your kid and for you. Once she gets a taste of the freedom and independence that’s just around the corner from her, she will feel pretty much as damn invincible as can be. She’s almost an adult, old enough to drive, almost old enough to vote, almost old enough to drink and thisclose to leaving your carefully guarded nest. You might be by her side, you might not be. She might be close to home after graduation, or… maybe not. You don’t actually have any way of knowing so don’t think for a minute that you do, because if there’s one thing that’s constant when you have a 17 year old, it’s change. So yes, you will cry, a lot. And there will be days when you will think that you can’t possibly feel any sadder and will pray to the powers that be for a time machine to send you back in time 10 years, but we both know that can’t happen. Your little bird is getting ready to fly soon, and she’s about to take the biggest leap she’s ever taken.
When it comes to letting you know about proud moments in your child’s education journey, I don’t even know where to begin. There are so many it’s almost crazy. Accomplishments and achievements are going to come hurtling at you from your kid at breakneck speed for the next 13 years. Some of them will be small, some of them will be huge. Some will require the need of some quick thinking and perhaps a white lie or two but don’t let that worry you - they are all amazing moments in your child’s life that you will treasure and cherish forever. Hang on to those memories however you can. Don’t be afraid to be the Mom who snaps endless photos or writes countless little stories. Once your kid is reaching the home stretch of Grade 12, you are going to be looking for them. Like, literally looking for them because your kid has to hand them in to the yearbook committee and she’s the only one who hasn’t yet. (Not actually kidding.) Sit still for a moment right now, take a huge, deep breath and hold it for 10 seconds. Kinda feels like your heart is super full, right? Get used that feeling because it is going to be on repeat over and over again for over a dozen years. It’s your Mama Pride and it will constantly be showing up. And at the end of 13 years, when you look at your little girl as she is in her graduation cap and gown, getting ready to cross that stage to get her diploma she worked so damn hard for, your Mama Pride is going to be welling up inside you so much that it will feel like your heart may actually burst. And that’s okay.
Like I said earlier, how fast does the time fly? Pretty damn fast, let me tell you.
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