First day of Kindergarten is here!

You'd think that since I've been through this (the eldest just finished kindergarten this past school year) before, that I'd be prepared for the youngest to start kindergarten. You'd be wrong....

I struggled with the decision to send him to kindergarten this year. I prefer to wait for another year, while my husband believes that he's ready. I do think he's ready, but he's just not quite as mature as I'd like him to be for school. I also view him as "the baby" and maybe it's more of an emotional feeling for me.

We went to open house today, and by sheer luck...both my kids have exactly the same two teachers (the kids are in a Chinese Immersion program...half the day is taught in English, the other half in Chinese).

My son seems excited, but nervous. He talked about bullies, and asked me if I will stay at school with him. It almost broke my heart to hear him talk about bullies already. It's as if he's gearing himself for the worse case scenario. At the same time, he knows at least six kids in his class already, and I can only hope that eases his anxiety a bit.

We plan to take the kids to school together, and I will be an empty nester for the first time. I will probably keep my eye on the clock until 3:30.

I'm not that nervous for my daughter. She seemed so excited to see her friends, and has already told me that she'll look after her little brother. I had to swallow a huge lump in my throat when she held his hand and pointed to the different rooms in school, and leaned over to him and said "Don't be scared. I'll be here." I have to say, I felt really proud at that moment.

I know that school is going to be a positive experience for both my children, but letting go is so hard. I have a feeling that I won't be sleeping well tonight.