Just the Beginning

"Did you have fun at your first day of pre-school today?" I ask my cute little 3 and a half year old.

Chloe's response: "Kinda"

Don't let the lack of enthusiasm with that answer fool you. Although she has gone back and forth with whether she has wanted to start pre school this year, when she got there, she LOVED it. She love's her teacher, Ms. Hill, the carrying bag she got to decorate, the books she got to read, and the songs she got to sing. Playground time with new toys, a pudding snack, and toys to play doctor with all rated pretty high as well. No matter what they did, she did everything, answered every question, and loved every minute. There was a slight issue with a boy that is still learning to be nice, but he's three - it's going to take years and years for him as a boy to perfect that art. Overall I would say the first day of pre-school was a hit!

On the other hand are MY thoughts about the first day of pre-school. I look forward to watching Chloe learn and grow, and am excited for the opportunities she is becoming old enough to experience. While I am excited, this little innocent first day of pre-school, while a beginning, also marks an end. An end of a portion of her childhood and the beginning of the road into schedules, responsibility, and sooner than I would like, teenage years and adulthood. To be able to stop this road is futile, and I would be foolish to keep her from things to avoid it, but I still mourn the beginning of the end of my children's early years. Am I a little lame? Probably, but I can't deny the mixed feelings of happy, I am really am happy for her and excited to watch her grow, and sad that have accompanied this day. I have no idea what I am going to do when she starts kindergarten, but either way, my little girl is growing up!

So, I ask myself: "Did I enjoy sending my daughter off for her first day of pre-school?"

My response: "Kinda"