“It’s just a stepping stone. A step away from the past. The past when I held him in my arms. A step closer to the future. The future when I have to let go. I can still see my little boy with his Spiderman backpack on his first day of kindergarten. I still see my baby on the first day he was placed in my trembling arms.”
‘Every year, every milestone, is wrapped up in this image of an almost-man, walking out my front door.’: Mom to all-grown-up son urges ‘don’t blink, take in every moment’
‘In ONE week, I’ve heard: ‘What’s wrong with her?’ ‘That’s so sad she has no arm.’ ‘She’s scary, I don’t like her.’: Special needs mom shares important reminder to teach inclusivity
“As you buy the backpack, and the crayons, and do all the school preparation things, please do the most important thing.”
Please Forgive Me If I Hold On A Little Too Tight — The Moments That Seemed To Last Forever Were Just A Blink
“I look at you and see the sweet baby I first held in my arms on the day I became a mom. I see you heading off to kindergarten in pigtails, ready to take on the world. I see you riding down the street on your first two-wheeled bike…your smile lit up with your first taste of freedom. All these years went by in a blink, just like every person said they would.”
‘I’ll never forget sitting in a hospital room watching you fight for your life, wishing I could fast forward to today. Today wasn’t supposed to happen.’: Mom pens emotional open letter to son on his first day of Kindergarten
“You’ll ask me when you’re older I’m sure. Why not high school or college graduation for a dream? Because ALL dreams begin with a stepping stone and this is yours. Some dream of puddles but you; the ocean. God knows you’ve swam through several already. It’s independence, it’s normalcy, it’s ‘just being a kid.'”
‘Welcome to Kindergarten! Look at my cool face shield!!! Maybe you’ll get an astronaut helmet too! Let’s learn a hand-washing song! Are you ready?’: Teacher urges ‘put trust in the gap’
“I wish we could take you through every single way we are preparing to protect your child, but we simply don’t have enough time. Put trust in the gap and give your child’s teacher some grace.”
‘I’m an elementary school teacher. I’m a week and a half from returning to work. The reality of school opening is hitting me hard.’: Teacher and mom shares realization, ‘I don’t want my 5-year-old carrying that burden’
“My daughter is starting kindergarten. She’ll be wearing a mask, staying 6 ft apart from others, and eating in her classroom. As we drew, I explained the new way school would be operating. This was now turning into something I never could have imagined.”
‘You may not be getting the best parts of kindergarten, but you’ll be getting the best parts of me.’: Kindergarten teacher shares touching letter to incoming students
“Instead of creating spaces to come together, I’m thinking of ways to keep us apart. I’m used to letting students know what the year ahead will be like, but this year not even the teacher knows what to expect. Kindergarten is coming and it feels nothing like it should.”
‘I can’t be the reason your child got sick and died. It would ruin me. There is no EASY answer.’: Elementary speech and language pathologist shares why returning to school isn’t worth the risk
“I’m going to have to tell your kindergartners they can’t hold hands, even though we spend SO MUCH TIME teaching kids to be friends with each other. I’m going to have to tell that shy, little boy who reaches for my hand for some security, he can’t hold my hand.”
‘You did drive-by parades and Zoom calls. You dropped off beloved stuffed animals. You are the only reason I can breathe.’: Mom thanks teachers for unyielding support
“This year, I want to return the favor.”
‘He screamed in frustration and my heart broke into a thousand pieces. ‘It won’t be like this forever.’: Mom shares difficulty explaining quarantine to her child, ‘How is he expected to understand?’
“’Mommy, I’m just sad and don’t know why.’ My heart broke for him. There were no goodbyes.”
