First Day of Kindergarten: Normal Emotions for Parents

The first day of kindergarten is a particularly bittersweet day for any parent, especially when that day belongs to your oldest child. You swear she was just born yesterday, but here she is – all five years of her – dressed in her adorable new outfit and cute new shoes wearing a backpack that’s almost as big as she is. She’s all smiles as you walk her into her kindergarten classroom. You, on the other hand, are a basket case. It’s perfectly normal. In fact, here are three perfectly normal emotions you will experience on your child’s first day of school.

Sad

You’ll be sad. You will probably cry; or at least tear up as you say goodbye to your kindergartener for the first time. It’s normal. This is your baby. This is the little person you first welcomed into the world. Now she’s a five-year-old starting kindergarten. She’s not your baby anymore. She’s a little girl. That realization can hit hard. Go ahead and cry. I did.

Happy

At the same time, you’ll be so happy that your little one is in kindergarten. You’re happy because she’s in school and about to experience some of the best years of her life. She’ll experience making new friends, learning new things and being a part of something that’s really just hers and not at all anyone else’s. She’s going to love it, you know it, and that makes you happy.

Nervous

It’s normal to feel nervous. What if she gets scared? What if she doesn’t like the lunch you packed her? What if she has to use the potty and doesn’t know how to ask? What if she’s thirsty and too afraid to speak up? What if the other kids are little terrors and she decides to befriend them and you hate them and don’t know what to do about it? There’s a lot to be nervous about…just know that she’ll be fine.

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