I see you lined up with your giant backpacks on your backs, in your brand-new school outfits. I see the nervous/excited/unsure expressions on your faces. It’s impossible to think that in just a little over a decade, you’ll be lined up on a stage in your cap and gown, waiting to move the tassel from one side to the other.
I’ve been tearful over the past few weeks thinking about the newborn days and toddler days and preschool days. Mourning that time goes so fast and wondering how my baby has become this little kid practically overnight. I have that same nervous/excited/unsure expression on my face every time I think about “our” first day of kindergarten tomorrow.
But, Class of 2031 (and parents too), here’s what I want you to know: It’s OK to be nervous. It’s OK to be unsure. And it’s OK to be excited too. Just don’t let your nerves hold you back to miss out, and don’t let your excitement lead you to somewhere you don’t want to be.
How will you know? Trust yourself. That’s a big, scary charge. I’m not sure if I fully know how to trust myself. But I do know this: Every time I’ve ended up somewhere I really want to be or achieved something that really matters to me, it’s because I dared to trust myself to get started … and then put in the hard work it takes to make it happen.
When I think of what the next twelve years are going to bring you, I’m overwhelmed. There’s a great big world out there just waiting to be discovered. There will be so much good. I can’t wait for you to find it. There will also be bad. I wish I could protect you from the bad forever, but if I do that, how will you learn to trust yourself? How will you grow?
My hope is that twelve years from now, the world is a better place than it is today. Even if it isn’t, I hope you know that you have the power to change it. Just one person can make a difference, but together, with strength in numbers, you are unstoppable.
These next twelve years are going to fly by before we know it. In the blink of an eye, I’ll be watching from the audience as you throw your graduation cap in the air in celebration. All I want is for you to still have that same nervous/excited/unsure expression on your face for the next part of your journey.
But we don’t have to worry about that just yet. This is only day one. As you walk into your classroom tomorrow, just be open to everything that comes next. Embrace the excitement. Push aside the nerves. Make new friends. Don’t forget the ones who have been at your side until now. Try new things. Don’t give up the things you already love. Be you, be genuine, and be kind. Those little things are enough, and they will take you so far.
You are going to do great things, Class of 2031. I can’t wait to be there for it.
All my love,
Another sentimental kindergarten mom
And P.S. – Please, please, for your mom’s sake, don’t forget to wash your hands after you go to the bathroom. Hygiene will take you farther than you’ll ever believe.
