My Youngest is off to Kindergarten

It is hard for a lot of local people to believe, by my youngest, my step-daughter, is off to Kindergarten soon. Although I have only been in her life for less than two years, it has been great to see how much she has grown! She has gone from a very cute and very polite toddler to a five year old striving for some independence and yet clinging to babyhood. You never know which you will encounter from day to day.

Yesterday morning, we went to school to meet her teacher. She got to see some of her classmates and get a general idea of what a day in Kindergarten will be like. She even took it upon herself to declare a fellow churchgoer as a boyfriend for this year.

My little one has been in preschool for two years, so she has a general idea of how all of this works, but still....kindergarten today is not what the kindergarten of our time was. Kindergarten used to be all about developing social skills. These days, it’s more about learning and preparing for the academic subjects of first grade. Still, one of the primary goals of kindergarten is to teach children to work and play together, share, accept each other's differences, and solve problems by communicating. Luckily, these things come naturally for most 5-year-olds. I don’t know about you but my child thinks that there is no such thing as a stranger.

Kindergartners are generally innocent. They believe that everyone is their best friend, and my step-daughter is no exception. Many kindergarten activities are built around encouraging kids to socialize especially focused on working in groups.

In kindergarten, children are finding their way in a world that is suddenly bigger than they ever imagined. Parents and teachers are the tour guides, but we can only guide. The child has to cross the bridge from preschool to 1st grade on her own two feet, a realization that may be more than a little scary for many of us parents. I, being of a select few it seems, relish the idea of seeing another one of my children blossom. My oldest blossomed right after, or towards the end of, Kindergarten and I still marvel at those memories.

Most likely, your child will experience a variety of emotions before starting kindergarten: happiness, pride, and excitement about growing up; sadness over leaving the teachers and friends at preschool behind; and fear of the unknown. My step-daughter seems to be elated over starting Kindergarten. Every morning she wakes up asking if today is the day. I can only hope that this enthusiasm continues.

Some recommend bringing your child to the new school and letting her meet the new teacher, see the classroom, and tour the building. Fortunately for my little one, her daddy teaches at her school and she practically grew up there. Sometimes I believe that she truly thinks that she runs the place.

How you view the beginning of kindergarten -- and how you communicate that to your child -- will have a great impact on how she handles her transition. Express enthusiasm and excitement. The main idea is to make kindergarten something exciting to look forward to, rather than something to fear.

As for me, I look forward to watching my child succeed. And yes, struggle is a step towards that success.