His smile says he’s ready. His green eyes do agree.

Written by Writer Dad on September 7, 2009 - View Comments
Categories: Poetry

Ten long weeks of summer have all but disappeared
Exactly as we’d hoped for and precisely as we feared.
Our littlest is growing, not quite as little these last days.
Though he is amazingly ready for new kindergarten ways.
His smile says he’s ready. His green eyes do agree.
And though we are excited, there is a bit of sad debris.
It’s not that we aren’t happy; we know he’ll be a star.
He’s a lion of a learner and that’s sure to take him far.
He writes his name, knows his math; he tells time and he reads.
And he has an awesome teacher who will understand his needs.
We are sending him to learn things that are way out of our reach.
A second tongue that Cindy nor I would be able to teach.
Exactly like our daughter, he will soon be speaking Spanish;
Roll his tongue and twirl his R’s as his accent starts to vanish.
YES we are excited, and though our hearts are thrilled
All the agents of nostalgia are slowly getting killed.
Like right now at this moment, Cindy’s by my side.
I’m asking for suggestions as tears begin their downward slide.
Our puppy’s barking louder and pretty soon he’ll be a dog
And we don’t want to live these last few moments in a fog.
Our kids are both in school for good in just a few days more.
We’ll grab the camera, load the car and lock the front house door.
We’ll drop him off and wish him well – into his teacher’s care.
And then we’ll leave the classroom and breathe in some brand new air.
The first book of our story in that second turns its page
To the final when our foursome steps into a brand new age.

Writer Dad

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  • Samar: My children are the exact same way. They've been chomping at the bit to start. My daughter is eager to see her friends and my son can't believe he's ACTUALLY STARTING KINDERGARTEN!!!

    Judy: Thank you so much, Judy! It's so true. There was a little girl in my daughter's class who cried for the first week of Kinder. Endless tears on that one. Come the third week of school, she never wanted to leave. Early to class and always wanted to stay late.

    I too love seeing the first yellow of September. : > )

    Friar:

    The first day of school
    It isn't cool.
    Half of the kids are all drowning in drool.

    Only up to our waste
    And most eating paste
    (Though between that and markers it has the best taste)

    The quiet is nice
    Though all pay the price
    When my youngest comes home with a full head of lice.

    Denguy: Exactly! Part of me wants to kick up my heels, and the other bury my face under a pillow. : > )

    Dave: Thanks, my man. I never get tired of hearing it.

    Laurie: Of all the grades Cindy has taught, Kinder has definitely been her favorite. There's just something so undaunted in a kindergartner's spirit. If only we could capture it forever. But then again, it would cease being special.

    I loved your story. Thanks!

    Leslie: Ah, Leslie... a face I know in real life!!! I'll tell little "Max" what you said. Thanks for the compliment!
  • Good luck, Max! ;) You're amazing!
  • Laurie
    It seems like yesterday my boys were going to kindergarten. Now my youngest is a senior. Time ....oh man....to say it flies is an understatement. Enjoy this time of your life Sean.

    I taught kinder for 5 years. LOVED IT! I have enough kinder stories to write a book. One day I had a conference with a mom. She began by letting me in on something her daughter had told her I said in class. I can't remember what it was but I remember it was ridiculous none the less. Without responding to her revelation, I told her that her daughter told me that her husband sleeps naked every night. Her Mom, shocked, replied with certainty, "He does not!" I said, "Well, how about I don't believe everything she tells me about you and you don't believe everything she tell you about me." The mom went for that without hesitation.

    Enjoy these moments! They pass so fast.
  • Beautiful, but of course I already told you that.
    Enjoy the bittersweet day!
  • Exciting and heart-wrenching at the same time.
  • Remember, today, you've just begun.
    A kindergarten baby. Not even Grade One.

    But if you want a decent job, not greeting at Wall-Mart
    You need a degree, it'll make you smart.

    "How much school then?", you'll ask, to calm your fears.
    And Dad will tell you: "Son, sixteen more years."

    Enjoy it now, while you're an apt bright pupil.
    You have the rest of your life, to work in a cubicle.

    :-D
  • Judy Dunn
    What memories you are bringing back, Sean. Both of my parenting days and my teaching days.

    Sounds like you have instilled just the right level of confidence in your little one.

    I think back on those first days now with fondness. Moms and dads with video cameras to capture the excitement. Kids with different emotions, from nervous to exhilarated to abject fright. The "helicopter parents" hovering, the separation anxiety, sometimes felt by the little one, sometimes by the parent, often by both.

    But we all made it through that first day and, funny thing, sometimes the kid who was most frightened didn't want to leave when the three-o-clock bell rang!

    What a delightful poem. Thanks for sharing. I still feel a tinge of nostalgia and longing when I see that first big yellow school bus of the year. God bless our kids and teachers.
  • Oh man, talk about capturing the emotions!

    To be honest I never thought how my mom felt about sending us to school. I was too wrapped up in my own excitement of starting school ( I was one of those crazy kids who loved school) to wonder how she felt. Though I realized that waking us up at 5 45, preparing our breakfast, and packing our lunch wasn't a piece of cake for her - considering we were 4 school going kids!
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