I thought your first day of Kindergarten wasn't a huge deal because you already did Knights Plus last year. You've already done school five days a week and for the full day. You've already ridden the bus, gotten lunch in the cafeteria, navigated the hallways and discovered the rules of the playground at recess. You did these things for a year already.
So I wasn't worried about today. I wasn't worried you would feel lost or get overwhelmed. There is no doubt in my mind that you'll have a great first day of Kindergarten.
Where I do start to worry is about the rest of the year. Because Kindergarten is a big first step. It's the official start of your formal education. It's the beginning of you being a big kid. Now there are various expectations and requirements and obligations. This is when you start to really grow and learn. This is when you start to form friendships that could later be tested and those that endure. This is when you start to discover more about yourself - your likes, your dislikes, your passions, your strengths. This is when things get real.
There is much that I hope and want for you, Jacob. Over the next year and again over the next thirteen plus years of school.
I hope that you grow to love learning and continue to seek out new things to learn. I hope that you will ultimately succeed in all that you decide to do. But I also hope that you realize that in order to succeed you will have mistakes and failures. I hope that you can accept your mistakes and learn from them. I hope that you continue to have a kind and compassionate heart. I hope that you will make friends easily and encompass many. I hope that you will always remember your manners. I hope that you will be brave and always stand up for what you believe in. I hope that your strength and bravery will also stand up for others in need. I hope that you always have the courage to do the right thing. I hope that you will learn to be grateful.
What I want, of course, is for life to be relatively easy for you. I want you to have minimal struggles and heartbreaks and disappointments. But since this is not how life works, I want - need - you to know that you will always be supported. You will always be loved. I want you to understand that you will always have people in your life who are there to help and guide you - myself, family, teachers, friends, our church community. I want you to understand that no matter what life throws at you, you are never alone. I want you to know that whatever happens in life, you are worth it.
As you begin Kindergarten, know that I will be here by your side. Know that your daddy is watching down on you from heaven. Know that you have a God that loves you and has amazing plans for you. And know that every day, I will pray for you.
I love you,
Mommy
PS Here's another letter to a Kindergartner wrote by another mom and that also speaks to my heart.
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