PRE-K

The rain started as soon as we closed the front door behind us, but the weather couldn’t dampen her spirit in spite of the attempt… it was the first day of Pre-K and to say she was excited is an understatement. She chose her outfit the night before from a few preselected options and raced down the stairs once the white bow was clipped in her hair, the final touch signaling she was ready to leave the house, to face the day, to start her last year of preschool.

Although there have been two first days of preschool before this one, there was something different about the way she carried herself. There was something more mature in her stance, something more admirable about her enthusiasm. Her mother and I walked her to her classroom, hung her striped backpack upon its designated hook and watched as she drew the letters one after the other to spell her name on the attendance sheet.

Present.

She’s here and it’s never been more apparent. She’s the soundtrack of our days and the memories we recall when an unexpected laugh bubbles up. She’s the light bursting through our bedroom door in the middle of the night and she’s the motivation we never knew we needed. She’s the best parts of both of us all wrapped up in one and she’s the most rewarding gift we’ve ever received.

Present? Absolutely.

We watched over our shoulders as we moved towards the door, not a chance of additional eye contact offered by her as she immediately seized the moment to catch up with one of her best friends, then we left our little girl attempting to blink away thoughts of the toddler and the baby she once was. While her ever-developing independence is a relief to see, evidence we’re doing something right I suppose, the realization she needs us a little less as a result leaves a bittersweet aftertaste. 

We picked her up several hours later and had lunch at the place of her choice and we made our way home. We talked about her day, about the things she learned, about the friends she reconnected with. We wrapped up in a blanket on the couch with a movie and a book of her choice and as she gave in to the exhaustion of the day, the sun slowly made its way through the clouds and into our living room… a reminder that these really are our glory days.

Read about her previous first days of school: Preschool 2014, Preschool 2013.