Wednesday night, I sat down at the computer to type up Mia’s 1st Day of Kindergarten sign. I kept telling my husband I can’t believe Mia is old enough to go to Kindergarten. I still remember the day of her birth like it was yesterday. I remember her first steps with my husband and I upstairs in our old house in Holly Springs. I even remember the zebra Gymboree pajamas she was wearing. I think back to the time I never thought she would ever grow any hair, and how I couldn’t wait to see her walking down the hallway and wave to me once she entered Kindergarten.

My, how years have changed. I am no longer teaching elementary school, she has a beautiful head of thick hair, and she’s no longer needing our fingers to help her keep her balance. As she picked out her outfit for her first day of school, she wanted to make sure she wore something pink (her favorite color), that she had the perfect hairbow (she borrowed mine), and that she wore one of the new things her Nana bought for her at our latest family trip to Gatlinburg. Ooookay. Adorned with her new gray (lacy) shirt from TJMaxx, her consignment store Justice skirt, and her pink sparkly Toms, she was off!

Before heading out, we had a mini photo shoot. I’m not always the greatest at taking pictures of my own children (they never seem to want to cooperate) but we savored this small moment yesterday morning. Hubby came home and took Elaina to school so Mia and I had a few moments together alone. We took her sign, new backpack, and the camera and took about 5 minutes to just play around. Here are the results.

I am trying to make more of an effort to document those little moments. It doesn’t matter the clothes they wear, the camera you have, or the background. Just remember that they grow up fast and when they grab those photos out of the shoebox many years down the road, nothing matters except that they can look back on that memory. They will relive it and will rejoice that you captured that day. Let’s all make a vow to take more pictures of the day-to-day things. It doesn’t matter if the photo is with your huge DSLR, your point and shoot, or heck, even your iPhone camera. Just get out there and document those moments.

I am very lucky that my girl is outgoing and wasn’t nervous in any sense of the word the first day. In fact, when I asked her if she was nervous, she turned to me and said (with a “duh” look on her face), “Moooom. No.” When I picked her up and asked her about her day, she even told me, “Moooooom, I don’t have to tell you EVERYthing.” How did she grow up so much in the short 3 hours she was in school. It’s going to be a LONG 13 years!

I read a poem the night before she went to school. Of course, I was boo-hooing by the end. I kept myself together after dropping her off. Knowing she is in good hands and that she was excited made that easy. I couldn’t help but wondering, though, what was going on.

I Wonder

I wonder what you’re doing right now,

And if everyone is treating you kind.

I hope there is a special person,

a nice friend that you can find.

I wonder if the teacher knows,

just how special you are to me.

And if the brightness of your heart

is something she can see.

I wonder if you are thinking about me,

and if you need a hug.

I already miss the sound of your voice

and how you give my leg a tug.

I wonder if you could possibly understand

how hard it is for me to let you grow.

On this day know that my heart breaks,

that this is the first step to letting my

baby go.

I know I am not the only parent thinking these same things while your babies (young and old) are away. Letting go is hard.

The last story I will tell is a story from one of my first few years of teaching. The dad of an amazing student came in for our conference. His daughter was well rounded, athletic, loved by all, high achieving, a self motivator, and just all around awesome. She was a twin and my track-mate had her brother. They also had an older brother in middle school. All of the siblings were equally awesome. At the end of our conference, I sat back and asked the dad, “So, what is your best parenting advice.” I was a new(ish) mom. I think Mia was around 2 at the time. She was beginning to come into her own and developing that lovely attitude. He thought for a second and he finally said, “You have to give your child the tools but let them do the work. You teach them right and wrong, teach them the skills they need, but don’t interfere with everything they do. Let them learn on their own. Let them learn from their mistakes. Let them settle their differences with their friends. This helps develop their character and gives them self-confidence in their choices.”

I remember thinking at the time how powerful that statement was. I think as a mom, I want to see my daughters succeed. I don’t want to see them hurt. I want to jump up and help them out in hard situations, but I always think back to that parent’s advice. We have to let them go. We have to believe in our selves enough to know that we have given them the tools they need and trust that they will know how to use them.

So go, baby girl. Use those tools. Use them correctly but if not, we will be here to help teach you again if you forget. Kindergarten will have it’s ups and downs, as will the rest of your life. Believe in yourself. We believe in you.