Back to School Joy
Just a Mom sitting here with her feels on the first day of school.
Welcome to The Joy Luck Club. This is a special joy 💣drop in honor of back to school. We’ll be back this Wednesday with our regularly scheduled programming. In the meantime, consider joining us every week by subscribing. I promise I’m not always this sappy.
It’s the first day of first grade.
Last year felt easy. We spent all summer hyping up kindergarten. We weren’t even certain you would let us leave the classroom, so having successfully slipped from your grasp without tears, we felt immense triumph at getting you off to school.
This year is different. You are “nervous”, not “scared”. That’s a big girl distinction. And a big girl you are becoming.
You left your stuffy at home today. Didn’t even ask if you could just keep her in your backpack in case you needed her.
But the nerves came back in the car on the way to school, and you held my hand like the Lil’ you still are on the walk to the front door. I passed your hand over to another Lil’ whose anxiety surpassed your own. Sweaty little palms pressed together igniting just enough courage to cross the threshold between out here and in there.
That outreached hand. That is you. Wanting to hold mine in safety and solidarity until another with a bigger burden needs your hand more than you need mine. You are that kind, that compassionate, that confident.
Walking the dogs this morning, I saw another mother and her baby. Mom was perched halfway in the street, checking for cars while her baby gathered courage behind her. My mind heard her whisper…
“1…2…3…GO!”
Mom trotting across the street urging her baby to have the courage to follow.
They made it. As will you. I will wait outside the door this afternoon to make sure your first day was worthy of the courage you corralled this morning.
And then I will do it again tomorrow. Nudging you out in to the world all the while watching for danger. Ready to pull you back to safety but wanting you to feel a little bit of pressure, a small taste of what awaits you.
You can do this.
And I can too.
