Our First Graduation

On Friday, we got to be part of a happy, but sad occasion. Our big boy, or F6 as he's known around here (and yes, I realize there are no F6 tornadoes), graduated from Kindergarten. How has it been a full year of Kindergarten already?

I never imagined I would be so emotional about Kindergarten graduation, but I was. He and his classmates sang some cutesy songs with hand motions and there I was trying to keep from scrunching my face and bawling my eyes out. I mean, who cries listening to Kindergateners sing Skinnamarink a dinky dink? Apparently, me! It could've gotten ugly, but I was able to restrain myself. 

I just can't believe that in such a short amount of time my child who was anti group activity and anti do anything that wasn't labeled fun would love school and do so well. Actually, it was only a few months ago when I thought he'd be a Kindergarten repeater because the move from the state to the north to the great state was not great for him at first. To the north, Kindergarten is Kindergarten. In the great state, Kindergarten is more like First Grade! I'm talking complete sentences with capital letters and punctuation, addition, subtraction, inventors, research projects, etc. We were all a little shell shocked, to say the least! There were some ugly, uncooperative nights at the dining room table when I thought my lack of patience with him would hinder his educational progress forever. I laugh now, but at the time it was far from funny. He had a great teacher who worked with him and was very patient to help get him on par here. She definitely gets more credit than me!

He has turned into a child who loves going to school every day. He loves math so much that tonight he fell asleep looking at a subtraction worksheet that he did today at school. I guess he was double checking his work because he was counting and taking away fingers for problems he'd already solved. He loves learning new words and being able to tell me what things say. He loves his friends and some days I'm convinced he should run for mayor because everywhere we go he sees someone he knows and can tell you their name and who their teacher is.  He still loves to sit in front of the television for hours on end and be a slacker, too. I'm not sure that will ever change. 

I couldn't be more proud of him as he finishes his first year of public school. However, I didn't get the memo that at Kindergarten graduation the graduates should receive balloon bouquets, flowers and envelopes of money! These peeps were way over the top! And the paparazzi's got nothing on the parents at Skipcha Elementary who were pushing people out of their way to get the best shot of their little darling in his or her cap and gown. Wow!