Tomorrow my one and only child starts kindergarten. . . and I just don’t know what to say about that. He, on the other hand, has plenty to say. The first words out of his mouth this morning were, “I’m so excited to start kindergarten tomorrow!”

Really? Does he have to be quite so excited about the end of my life as I know it? Okay, so that’s a bit over-dramatic, but kind of true. I’ve been a stay-at-home mom for almost six years now and I have embraced everything that brings, but at 8:40 tomorrow morning everything changes.

Tomorrow I place my eager child into the hands of caring, capable people. I leave my son at a top-rated school to be well educated. I don’t have to pack lunches, I don’t have to write a preschool check, and I don’t have to do much of anything for almost eight straight hours, five days a week, for the next several months. Hmmm. . . maybe I have underestimated the situation.

Seriously, I will miss having my little one under foot, visiting the zoo, museums and other destinations during the weekdays, playing with our mommy club friends and nap time. I’ll miss the every-other-day Playdoh dates, coloring together and train track building, but maybe, just maybe. . . after I polish off a box of tissue tomorrow, I’ll be able to look on the brighter side of public education and embrace my new life as I’ll know it. I mean I’ve already joined the PTA, so I must be on my way!

photo credit: La rentrée via photopin (license)