Dear Olivia Marie,
You recently asked me what I was eating.
“It’s broccoli” I replied.
“Oh,” you said. “I don’t like broccoli. But I do really like you mommy, so I’ll just eat you all up...yum, yum, yum!”
And that pretty much sums up the summer of 3.5.....you say funny things and eat nothing healthy at all. It’s amazing that you are growing and a testament to the human body that it can continue to produce a smart, typically developing child on chicken nuggets, water, and chocolate almond milk.
“It’s broccoli” I replied.
“Oh,” you said. “I don’t like broccoli. But I do really like you mommy, so I’ll just eat you all up...yum, yum, yum!”
And that pretty much sums up the summer of 3.5.....you say funny things and eat nothing healthy at all. It’s amazing that you are growing and a testament to the human body that it can continue to produce a smart, typically developing child on chicken nuggets, water, and chocolate almond milk.
Sadly, our summer has come to an end as it has every August for the last three years. I am so grateful for this time we've had and also for the new chapter that begins each year. This end of summer brings a milestone for you.
You are starting school today!
You have become much more social and interactive with other children this summer & I’m excited for you to make new friends, learn, and love your teachers. I’m also happy for us both that you’ll have a large part of your daily life that is separate from me. I like that you prefer to keep close to me.....but really, can you move over just an inch so I can lift this coffee/wine glass up to my lips without bumping your head with my elbow? It’s time for us to get some breathing room from each other and come back together at the end of the day excited to share our experiences and reconnect.
You have become much more social and interactive with other children this summer & I’m excited for you to make new friends, learn, and love your teachers. I’m also happy for us both that you’ll have a large part of your daily life that is separate from me. I like that you prefer to keep close to me.....but really, can you move over just an inch so I can lift this coffee/wine glass up to my lips without bumping your head with my elbow? It’s time for us to get some breathing room from each other and come back together at the end of the day excited to share our experiences and reconnect.
Even though your dad and I are confident that K3 is the right step for you, I feel nervous about how your first few days will go:
Will someone be mean to you?
Will you find a best friend right away?
Will you eat anything at all out of your lunchbox?
Will you take a nap on that thin little mat that hasn’t changed at all in 30-plus
years?
years?
Will your teacher really get to know you- your humor, your intelligence, and your
sensitive nature?
I think it's silly for me to have any fears at all. As a preschool teacher myself, I know your classroom will be a place of growth and fun. Your teachers will keep you safe and make you feel nurtured. But still....
You’ve been well cared for and loved at each of your childcare placements & it’s bittersweet to send you out into the big, wide world. Granted it’s a school where your grandma works, in a class with your cousin, where your mom & dad and aunts & uncles went, and almost every teacher there knows most of your family...but it’s bigger and wider than your previous experiences and with that comes some anxiety for yours truly. There is no doubt you will flourish and I can't wait to watch how it unfolds over the next 10 months.
sensitive nature?
I think it's silly for me to have any fears at all. As a preschool teacher myself, I know your classroom will be a place of growth and fun. Your teachers will keep you safe and make you feel nurtured. But still....
You’ve been well cared for and loved at each of your childcare placements & it’s bittersweet to send you out into the big, wide world. Granted it’s a school where your grandma works, in a class with your cousin, where your mom & dad and aunts & uncles went, and almost every teacher there knows most of your family...but it’s bigger and wider than your previous experiences and with that comes some anxiety for yours truly. There is no doubt you will flourish and I can't wait to watch how it unfolds over the next 10 months.
When I asked how you feel about starting school, you said "I'm so excited. But I'm a little scared, too."
Ditto.
My big girl, have a great day today! I can’t wait to hear all about it.
Love,
Mommy
Mommy
