Preschool Graduate

 

I now am the mother of a Kindergartner. How in the world did that happen??

Jasper graduated from preschool last week. He and his classmates have been working very hard over the last month to prepare for their graduation ceremony. They made all the decorations - from body drawings for each student to tissue paper flowers that covered the railings to a quilt with their own personalized square. Jasper would come home from school and tell me about all the elaborate preparations. Then I was instructed to promptly forget what he told me because he wanted it to be a surprise.

He would wander around the house practicing the songs they were going to perform. He had the lyrics printed out on paper so that he could learn the words. While he might be a little pitchy, he poured his heart out as he practiced. In the end, they performed several songs including Lean on Me, That's What Friends are For, Three Little Birds, Itsy-Bitsy Spider, The Wise Old Man, and The Dinosaur Song. Quite a medley.

You could tell that he was really proud of himself and his friends. And rightly so. They've all come a long way and learned a lot. Plastered along the walls of the courtyard were posters proclaiming fun facts about each child and what they learned at school. 

When asked what was one thing he liked to do at school and one thing he liked to do at home, Jasper answered "Sleep" for both questions. That's my boy. When asked why he is special, he answered, "Because I love my family."

I'm not sure that the kids realize the significance of this day and their graduation. Next year, they will be off to new schools in different parts of the neighborhood. To them, it was a big party and a chance to have cake before lunch. But, it was bittersweet for me as I remembered my goodbyes and transitions to new schools and places. Plus, I'm not sure if I'm ready for my boys to grow up.

{Linking up with Alison and Galit for Memories Captured}