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We had Kindergarten Roundup last week. As Easton ran ahead of me, skipping toward the school, I was struck by how grown-up he looks now. All angles. No more chubby cheeks and potbelly. My baby is 5 now.<\/p>\nWe had Kindergarten Roundup last week. As Easton ran ahead of me, skipping toward the school, I was struck by how grown-up he looks now. All angles. No more chubby cheeks and potbelly. My baby is 5 now.<\/p>\n
But then in the multi-purpose room where we\u2019ll be spending a lot of time in the elementary school years, as he lined up to go to a classroom and leave me behind (just for an hour), he wanted me to hold his hand and walk him up front to the line of other kids. I saw his lip quiver as he stood by himself and I flashed back to those baby days again. The clingy, tearful daycare drop-offs that seemed like they\u2019d never end.<\/p>\n
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But my baby is 5 now. He smiled bravely when we made eye contact and waved a little before going off with his future classmates. I held it together too. If he can be brave, so can I. But when he bounded back to me one hour later, smiling ear to ear and proudly thrusting a construction paper ladybug into my hands, my fragile mama heart exhaled the breath I didn\u2019t realized I\u2019ve been holding. My baby is 5 but he\u2019s still my baby. And he\u2019s going to be just fine.<\/p>\n
And maybe most importantly, so am I.<\/p>\n
Still, the days left before I have a \u201cschool-ager\u201d are finite. There are only 16 Saturdays until I\u2019m officially the mom of a kindergartener. Sixteen summer weekends to enjoy the routines we\u2019ve created in our pre-elementary school life, before it\u2019s time to negotiate new routines.<\/p>\n
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Enter the summer bucket list. The next 16 weekends are going to be about celebrating carefree childhood. Letting go of our school anxieties (his and mine, because he is very much my child) to focus on a summer of exploration and growth. Letting my kids be kids in all their loud, messy, muddy glory.<\/p>\n
Because 5 years ago, when I stared breathlessly at that little scrunched-up newborn face for the first time, I couldn\u2019t even conceptualize all that would change in such a short time. I couldn\u2019t picture what being the mom of a kindergartener looks like.<\/p>\n
Now I\u2019ve had a preview and I think I\u2019m OK with it. But that doesn\u2019t mean I want the summer to fly by in a haze of iPad and TV. So I\u2019m going to make the most of the summer ahead of us.<\/p>\n
Follow along with my #NeverDoneWithFun Summer Bucket List Bingo printable and cross off your own adventures as you complete them. Add in a bonus event each time you get BINGO! If you complete the whole card before summer\u2019s end \u2026 buy yourself a bottle of champagne because you\u2019ve earned it, Mama!<\/p>\n
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