To My Daughter, Before Kindergarten
Dear Daughter,
How did we get here already? I’m pretty sure we just brought you home from the hospital, complete with our overwhelming feeling of inadequacy, as new parents do. And now tomorrow, you start Kindergarten. It’s such a cliché but I really feel like I blinked my eyes and you are this amazing, big kid.
I know you are so ready for this next chapter to begin. I am too, but it comes with a feeling of melancholy. For the past six years, (yeah, we kept you an extra year because of that summer birthday) you have been in our little bubble. Our Rammer family bubble, with its in-jokes and insulation from the outside world. Now, you are headed out for seven hours of the day, five days a week. You will have new in-jokes that we don’t know. You will learn things from classmates that we weren’t ready to tell you about.
You will also learn amazing new things, and I’m so excited for you. I know you are going to love school as much as I did. You will strive to please your teacher, marvel at the idea that you get to pick out your own books at the library, and enjoy the other perks of being a “big kid.”
The Rammer Family bubble will always be here, your safe space. We will always have your back and understand you better than anyone in the world. But as I was thinking about all the feels I have today, and what we have taught you so far, I thought of a few things I want you to know before you go tomorrow.
1. You are amazing. You are capable, smart, strong, and kind. Remember that when it comes time to try new things. I know you like to practice first, but sometimes just jumping in and trying something pays off. Don’t miss out on it because you’re scared of looking silly or not doing it right. You’ve got this.
2. Speaking of kind, keep your kind heart always. Have “people eyes” to see those who might need a friend, but remember being kind doesn’t mean you have to let people have their way all the time or put you down. You can stand up for yourself and use your voice, too.
3. SpongeBob isn’t really yucky. I just said that because I didn’t want you to watch the sassy humor before you knew it was sassy. Just thought you should know.
4. Your new friends might have different rules at home than we do. That’s ok and it doesn’t make them wrong. Different families need different rules. But it also doesn’t mean we’ll be changing ours anytime soon.
5. Your family loves more than you could ever know. Your brothers think you are the most amazing big sister and they are right. We are your biggest cheerleaders and can’t wait to see all the amazing things you will do.
So that’s about it. We’ve been talking about tomorrow for what feels like forever. You’re going to rock Kindergarten and we’ll be there when you get off the bus at the end of the day, excited to hear all about it.
I love you so much, my sweet Buggy girl.
Love, Mama
