The First Day of School

The first day of school for my daughter is tomorrow and I am reminded of those days some thirty odd years ago.  Not much has changed.  The much anticipated supply list arrives and it is poured over and studied.  The back pack and lunch box are inspected meticulously to see if they might survive another year.  This year the verdict was yes.   The 1st day outfit is considered over the long weekend and arrived at by Saturday - (this year it's white capri's and a butterfly graphic T, with new Nike sneakers).  The supplies are packed up in the backpack and organized so it all fits and doesn't weigh 10,000 pounds.  We've practiced with a combination lock all summer long so that the locker won't be too much of an issue.  So now here we are...flipping and flopping and trying to get to sleep.  There were many "I love you mom's" spoken tonight.  There was also a little confession of nerves, but in the end it is an adventure. I remember my first day of Middle School.  It was a little different situation.  A strange school in another town.  All my friends were going to a school only 7 miles away in a cool town.  I was being bused 22 miles away to a town with mostly farm kids.  I didn't really know anyone there and I had never ridden the bus before.  I was a townie so I walked to school.  The bus was horrible, the ride was long, and that was a hard year socially.  I missed my friends.  Thank goodness it was only for a year.  Whew.  At least my daughter knows that all of her friends with the exception of two will be there with her tomorrow.  She won't be a lone on her big adventure.  For that I'm grateful.  It will be a hard day for me tomorrow too.  My baby is growing up.  She's earned the right to ride her bike to school by proving herself responsible.  We've ridden over there a few times this last week and she knows the way and every crack in the sidewalk.  It makes me nervous, but I know that I have to let go a little bit.  It's just hard when you're the mom and watching her go off on her own.  I'll probably follow her over there for the first few days and then she's on her own.  Maybe this will make it a little easier when she takes off in the car for the first time and by the time she leaves for college I'll be an old pro.  No matter how old she gets though, she'll always be my little baby girl with the sticking up hair that I traveled 1/2 way around the world for, that much will never change.
Cheers!