Thursday, September 4, 2014

Big backpack, Big Love.

A Kindergartner. Being able to remember some of my own Kindergarten memories so clearly make it that much more surreal to be on the mothering end of it all. Here it is though, September, and my first born, my 4 year old love of my life is gone for an entire day. Who will build Lego cities with me all day, who will make me dress as a super hero, or villain depending on if he feels like smacking me around that day or not. Should I feel like an empty nester right now? His entire first day I felt like I was missing a part of myself, a constant ache. His small body toting that big backpack into that big school hallway was the culmination of the last almost 5 years. I wanted to pull my heart out of my chest and scream at it to calm down, that it didn't have to break- that this was a wonderful thing!
And it was.

At 3:30 when his happy face came through the door and hugged me with enough force to knock me down- there it was. He loved it. He was excited for the next day, he said that he had a great time. He ate every bit of the lunch I packed for him. He came home unscathed and in great spirits. I silently scolded myself for being so selfish, for thinking of my own breaking heart, about how I felt.
And then I said, "Fuck you, self. That's YOUR baby".
The first time I laid my eyes on him, I knew I would feel everything he felt, that I would feel everything for him, take away the bad and replace it with the good if I could. Today was OUR first, and I am so happy that I felt the bad and he felt the good. There is no other way I could wish it to be. That beautiful boy with his big eyes, his big smile, and big personality- he's still mine. I just have to accept letting him go a little bit and allow the world to help make those things become bigger & bigger.