Her New Bigger, Brighter World

5YO is officially a kindergartener.  I mean, I guess you could say she has been one for a week or so now. 

She.  Loves.  It.

I mean, it helps that both kindergarten teachers at our school are AH-MAZING.  Our school is truly blessed to be able to say that. 

In my last post, I was talking about how great it will be to get these kids out of my house for 6 1/2 hours a day.  Just the thought of being alone in my house with no television or other distractions sounded like a dream-come-true!  (Oh...and it really is that good!)  But that's not quite why I'm so excited about school now.  School is giving 5YO what I realize that I no longer can.  She is learning about things in a way that I could never teach her.  She is skipping around the house singing the songs that she has learned at school.  And she is excited.  Soooo excited!  She is learning to deal with other people in a place where I cannot always be there to help her.  These are life skills that aren't always easy to learn when good 'ol mom is always around to fix things.

Up until now, most of her stories are stories about things that I was there to see happen in the first place.  She was my shopping buddy and sidekick for most of my errands and appointments when her sisters were in school.  Now, she comes home with a bunch of stories that are just her own.  And while she's always been my most boisterous child, she has a new sparkle about her that hadn't been there before. 

True independence.

I know this is the part where a lot of stay-at-home mothers start to either feel guilty for enjoying their kid-free time or mourning the loss of their 'babies.'  Not me.  I am so excited to see all my girls grow and I can't wait to see all the changes they'll go through and situations they'll encounter.  They have lives outside of me and that is fantastic. 15YO already has so much of a life outside of us that, if she could drive (and had unlimited funding), she would barely need us at all!  That kid has a life alright!   

Hmm....a life.  Maybe I'll have to get me one of those this year!  In the meantime, I love getting a chance to miss them, reclaim a bit of my sanity, and maybe even weed out some old clothes or toys that they'll never miss.  Plus, I will still help out in their classrooms. 

Oh my gosh!  I'm turning into one of 'those moms' aren't I? 

Why not?  I already have the minivan and the capri pants.  ;-)