Today I took some garbage downstairs, and on my way back up I checked the mail. There was something addressed to both George and me and I didn’t know what it was until I noticed the name of Hayley’s elementary school in the corner. I opened it up and it was a confirmation of the date and time for the parent-teacher meeting at the school.
It will cover information such as which bus she’ll be on and what time her pick-up and drop-off will be as well as letting us know which beginner session she’ll be in; the Kindergarten class goes all day but for the first week they go on a rotational schedule to help them adapt. We’ll find out which days she’ll be going and which time periods. It also had a reminder of the cost for school fees and a mention of answering any questions we might have.
And suddenly it hit me. She starts school at the end of next month. In the month of August we have to buy her a couple of pairs of pants and maybe one skirt or tunic in the school colors and several shirts (the shirts are white so the more we get the better I think – white is not the best color for young kids who are messy eaters!). We have to get her some new shoes. We have to get all her school supplies as listed on the paper we got when we registered her (nothing crazy, just a change of old clothes in case of accidents, tissues, a smock, etc.). We haven’t gotten any of these things because for some reason we just felt like we still had a long time and all of a sudden it’s looming RIGHT THERE. Hayley thinks it’s “forever” until school starts. It’s not.
She starts school on either August 30th or August 31st, depending on her starting schedule. On one of those mornings, I will walk down to the street with her, hold her hand on the sidewalk and then put her on the bus with a backpack on her back and a lunch box in her hand. I will kiss her goodbye and I will damn well wave excitedly with a big smile on my face as my little girl heads off to school like she’s been dreaming of for about a year. I will smile and wave until she can’t see me anymore.
And then I will run back up the stairs, throw myself on my bed and cry my eyes out.
(I fully admit to crying while writing this.)
Dang.. I’m crying too. These are HARD times. Exciting times, but HARD times.
Okay, your post just got me panicky about going back to school. Hayley goes to school the same days I go back to start setting up my classroom.
And for what it’s worth, my mom claims I begged and begged to go to school and she sent me early. Then apparently a year later I decided I was done with it, lols.
I would be balling my eyes out too!
I balled my eyes out when my son graduated from high school and was going to go away to college. Never thought I’d do that. Of course he went to college here in town and then I cried because I thought he’d never leave … but he did. Guess we all go through this cycle.
Wow. Wasn’t it just yesterday that I held her for the first time in the hospital?
WAH! I’m crying for you!
Awwww… *hugs*