Chapters of Motherhood: Kindergarten

We can probably all agree on the fact as a mom, we never stop learning. This adventure teaches us all sorts of things. Sometimes about our kids, and sometimes about ourselves. Our Owner and CMO, Korie Conant, shares some of her musings on a recent chapter of her journey, the end of her son’s Kindergarten year, and how it helped her to grow as a mother. Read on to learn more.

Motherhood is full of surprises, and one thing that took me by surprise was my oldest son’s completion of Kindergarten. A short 8 months before he entered Kinder,  he was ready—we were ready. I remember the first day of school, snapping a picture of him wearing his new clothes and backpack and feeling my heart skip a beat. I wasn’t sad. I just felt so much excitement. What happened in the months after his first day was nothing short of wonderful.  We had a charmed first year of school. The group of kids were so great, Beckett made so many sweet friendships and his teacher was incredible. She was that perfect balance of commanding and compassionate, firm and yet fun.

I worked in the classroom 1 day a week and become really invested in the class, the kids and parents. As the school year began to wind down, I started to have so much anxiety—which really hit hard and fast. Being a working mother, I don’t always have time to stop and think about how I’m feeling, or contemplate certain emotions. So much of life for me sometimes is just putting one foot in front of the other, another “check” on the to-do list marked. It finally came to a point where I was sitting in the class watching the kids kick-off their morning “freeze dance” routine, and with Timber blaring from the speaker, I realized I had been walking around the past several weeks with my heart beating out of my chest, this anxious feeling with a tug of sadness mixed in.  I was going to miss this. Not only for Beckett, but for me.

I began to realize a chapter I enjoyed so much was closing, and that the next chapter scared me. It was all so fun in Kinder, so sweet and tender. 1^st grade. What would that be like? Would that chapter be about performing in class, writing technique, reading, tests, and HOMEWORK. Would all the fun be over? The thought of it all sort of broke my heart. In Kindergarten everyone is accepted. All the kids are friends. Is that all going to end?

I don’t know the answer to any of that, but I can tell you that while most moms cry on the 1^st day of Kindergarten, I cried on the last. But as we settled into summer and the anxiety subsided, I knew we would be ready for the next chapter—and I had faith it would be special in its own way. That’s the beauty of motherhood—it’s a journey that always teaches and we grow right with our kids.