Five-Six Things to Love about Volunteering in Kindergarten

1: The way the kids are bursting with pride when you sit down to read with with them, ready to show off their skills. And if not, the way they get proud when they do it.

2: How their eyes light up when you tell them what you like about their reading.

3: The probing questions out of the blue, like: "Do you have any pets? What are you making for lunch?"

4: Overhearing your daughter repeatedly telling her friends, "That's my Mom. Her name is Catherine. My Grandma, her mom, used to sing to her when she was little".

5: All those adorable eyes that smile at you and say, "we're glad you're here".

6: Everything I ever needed to know, I learned in Kindergarten. Remember Robert Fulghum? "...Share. Clean up after yourself. Learn some and think some. And draw and paint and sing and dance. And play and work everyday some. Take a nap every afternoon. When you go out into the world, Watch out for traffic, Hold hands and stick together. Be aware of wonder."

Driving away from the bus stop this morning, just me and my big empty van, no longer constantly eligible for HOV, I realized (okay..again I realized...what can I say? I'm a slow learner) THAT my kids are getting so grown up.

Annika is newly 6 and newly a little independent social butterfly. Well, she's always been a social butterfly, but now it's more of a fulltime job. This morning, she was talking to herself, practicing I guess for situations she supposed she might encounter later in the day. As she sat clumsily but persistently tying her shoes (another new skill), she mumbled, "Hi guys! (with enthusiasm), How are you?". There was no one around her, so I had to assume she was "practicing".

Then as she was climbing in the car, she quietly said (with feeling), "I'm so sorry". I asked, "what for?" And she replied, "oh, nothing".

And then Lauren is like a little 4th grade college student, so diligent and capable of amazing academic feats. She studies every night, and she's motivated to do all her homework and seek excellence in her projects. She is seriously making meteoric rises in her academic career. She's getting 100% on tests, her spelling has gone from sloppy to stellar in 5 weeks. And all this drive is coming from within herself.

It's weird how I can now step back from my role as super involved homeschooling mom, and watch my amazing kids go out on their own everyday. It still makes my head and heart spin some days.