It'll happen for Jake on August 22nd - his first day of K4. This week my coworkers have seen first days of third grade and fourth grade and sixth grade and first days of preschool come and go. And today my niece, Emily, spent her first day in first grade.
I love what her teacher asked my sister and brother-in-law to do for her today. At orientation, they were asked to write a letter to Emily that she would read today for the first time - her first day of this school year. It was meant to be something special for her and was probably filled with words and encouragement and descriptions of love and pride.
I love this idea so much that I plan to do this for Jake and Parker each year. I'll start off by saying "I love you" and "I can't believe another year has passed." I'll ask them to do their best and give everything they do their all. And I'll tell them if they do those two things no matter what the outcome is, I'll always be proud of them. I'll make promises to keep my expectations realistic and reward their successes. As the years go by, I'll ask for forgiveness in advance for the times I might embarrass them in front of friends and when I can't seem to make myself let go.
I know deep down I'll blink, and Jake will be doing multiplication and division. He'll change lockers and classes when the bell rings. He'll solve Algebra equations, dissect frogs, and plan his senior trip.
But for this year, he'll master his ABC's and learn to write his name.
And he'll receive his very first letter that I'll write to him on his first day of K4.
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