School Readiness

Everyone has been asking me whether is Janelle ready for school, and how she feels about starting kindergarten next Tuesday, etc. In fact, way before Janelle reached schooling age, we have been hearing about school readiness programmes, and about certain markers to see whether your child is ready for school, and so on. Suffice to say, there are tonnes of information and assistance to get your child ready for school. But I think what no one prepared us for is the school readiness programme for the parents of the child! 

As a mother of a child who is starting big school, I feel extremely unprepared for my daughter to start school! It is not just the physical preparation (eg. school uniforms, packing of daily lunches, school bag, etc) that bothers me, but rather it is the emotional aspect of it all that is getting to me. 

It is this sudden realisation that my baby whom I nursed in my arms is now so big that she is actually starting school! She will always be the baby in my eyes, and I simply cannot imagine her "leaving the nest" and starting school 5 days a week! The thought of it just opens a floodgate of tears. I think I must be crazy. I never hear of parents being so upset that their child is starting school! 

The best part about it all is, Janelle remains totally nonchalant about starting big school! Whenever we ask her how she feels about starting school, she just shrugs it off - no excitement, no fear, no nothing! And on the other hand, it is me (the mum) who's worried sick (but pretending to be nonchalant in front of her) and trying to come to terms with this sense of loss that I feel. Such irony! I think the correct question people should be asking is, "How are you feeling about Janelle starting school?" rather than "How does Janelle feel about starting school?"!

I guess this is all part of the growth process. It is a matter of time that babies grow up and eventually become adults. Whilst we may experience "growing pains", we can only take heart that growth is for the betterment of the child! I can only entrust my child into God's loving hands, knowing that even as she takes this first step of flying away from the nest, she is always under the shelter of His wings