Wednesday, August 22, 2012

The Beginning of the End

How is it possible that my eldest is a SENIOR in High School?
I know he just started kindergarten!
I remember that day like it was yesterday:
Warm, a little overcast,
 Griffin and Carson watching a little morning tv eating peaches
(how do I remember that?)
A quick bike ride in the driveway and than 
off to the BIG world of KINDERGARTEN:


IMG_0105
Griffin's 1st day of Kindergarten, Winston- Salem NC
Whitaker Elementary (seriously)

I remember parking and walking him up the BIG steps to his school.
In the side door and into the 3rd door on the right.
His teacher was a Clifford The Big Red Dog fan so she had lots of Clifford stuff.
We milled around a bit, found his desk and I realized I was about to LOSE IT!
Tears welling up (it didn't help that I was 9 months pregnant with Reese- HORMONES).
So, I quickly gave Griffin a hug and kiss,
trying desperately to hold off the waterworks until I was out of the room
because I didn't want Griffin to think I was leaving him in some horrible place.
The minute I walked out of the room the floodgates opened.
I quickly went into the UGLY cry- you know the one:
Tears flowing, snot dripping, saliva drooling out of your mouth.
Heaving and gasping for breathe.
Yeah- It wasn't pretty!
I think I eventually regained my composure- enough to stumble back to the car anyway.
The rest of my day was spent counting the hours until I went back to that school to pick Griffin up hoping that his day was much better than mine.

Turns out it all worked out just fine.
Until now- some 12 Augusts later.


Griffin's 1st day of 12th grade, Irmo, SC
Dutch Fork HS

Much has changed.
I no longer have to make him breakfast,
get him ready for school
 and lord knows he doesn't want me walking him into his classroom!
He shaves (sometimes), drives himself to school and is with his friends more than he is at home.
But as I face his last, first day of school with him under my roof
I find myself facing many of the same emotions I felt when I was sending him off to kindergarten that first day.
I haven't broken down into the UGLY cry
but I have gotten weepy when I think where we will be a year from now
 ( I fear the UGLY cry will occur a few times between now and then).
I don't want to dwell on his absence a next year
 so I am going to try to enjoy the moments he is here in the coming months.

But, boy, somedays I wish he could be that little kindergartener again so he would be at home for
12 more years!



No comments: