I opened my email first thing in the morning some time last week.
Rose had sent me an email...she usually does. Today was a different one. It was a link to a blog she had read and thought I would enjoy it. I definitely did and went as far as asking the blogger for permission to post it.
Here it is...I think you will know what I like it so much...
Today is the last day of Kindergarten.
As much as I’ve complained about the school year dragging on interminably, it’s still hard for me to believe that an entire school year is over. As of 2:00 today I’ll be the mother of a first grader.
And if you think it hasn’t occurred to me that first grade means she’ll only live at home for twelve more years, then you have seriously underestimated all my neuroses.
It turns out that all those times I’ve held her and asked her to just stay little have not been working at all.
Cue Jim Croce singing “Time In A Bottle”.
(Seriously. I just pulled out Jim Croce.)
Yesterday her class had an end of the year party with a luau theme. Caroline has been so excited about the party and as we said our prayers the night before she said, “Dear God, thank you for controlling Mrs. C’s mind and telling her we needed to have a luau.” Because God is into mind control techniques concerning Hawaiian-themed parties.
In spite of the heat and 98% humidity, we all had a great time at the party because it’s really impossible to not have fun when hot dogs and cupcakes are involved. That’s just basic party math.
But, sadly, all good parties have to come to an end. Once the limbo contest ended and the keg was floated, it was obvious it was time to wrap things up and head to recess.
Before I left I wanted to say a few things to her teacher. I knew I’d write a thank you note, but I wanted to also say thank you in person. The only problem was I wasn’t sure I could get through it without holding onto her for dear life while crying and begging her to just follow us for the next twelve years. It’s not like she’d have to go to college with Caroline, but merely get her through high school graduation. It doesn’t seem like too much to ask of someone who was a total stranger nine months ago.
Last summer I said many prayers that Caroline would end up with the right teacher for her and when the envelope finally arrived the week before school, I opened it up and saw a name on a page that meant nothing to me. The name of a stranger who would be spending six hours a day with my child. Would she see how sweet Caroline is? Would she appreciate her sense of humor? Would she understand that sometimes she tends to overreact and have a level 9 reaction to a level 2 situation?
(By the way, I don’t know where she gets that last one says the woman in tears over the end of Kindergarten)
The answer to all those questions turned out to be “yes”. I couldn’t have picked a better teacher for Caroline’s first year of school. Mrs. C has a way of making you forget that teaching is her job and makes you feel like there is nowhere on earth she’d rather be than telling your kid for the sixth time to go wash their hands or get in line for recess. I bet if you asked the kids in her class who her favorite student is, they would all say it was them.
Yesterday I asked Caroline what she was going to miss most about Kindergarten and she didn’t say “eating paste” or “seeing how much sand I can collect inside my tennis shoes at recess everyday”. Without hesitating she said, “Mrs. C”.
I managed to hold back tears yesterday as I told Mrs. C thanks for everything she has done for my child this year. She’s taught her to love school, she’s taught her to read, she’s taught her to be kind and respectful to her classmates. She has been a gift.
I told her about my dream of having her follow us for the next twelve years and she said, “I’ll be with you. A part of me will always be with Caroline.”
And she’s right. She will always be a part of Caroline’s history. We’ll never forget her.
Not to mention I’m pretty sure that her native Massachusetts accent is the reason Caroline has begun asking for her “crans” as opposed to her “cray-ons”.
Thanks Big Mama for your wonderful post!!! www.thebigmamablog.com
She is as sweet as pie! Thank you Jensen's for your hospitality! I hope to be back soon!
