What are you going to do all day when your baby heads to kindergarten?

“So…What in the world are you going to do all day when your baby heads to kindergarten?” I was asked this question numerous times all summer long.

Sending your baby to kindergarten is a big deal, mama. I see you and understand how it feels sending your first or last child to school full time. It’s a huge milestone! One that deserves pause. One that deserves applause. One that deserves a pat on the back and quiet whisper, “You did it, mama.” You have survived the hardest years in some ways, yet are entering different challenges and rewards of having older children. 

This year, I sent 5 children to school full time ranging from kindergarten to high school. With my youngest entering kindergarten and my eldest twins turning 15, that means I have spent the past 15 years of having babies and caring for younger children. That’s an entire decade and a half of just getting babies and littles grown and from A to B in all constructs of life. As I waved goodbye to my youngest and my eldest twins entering high school last week, as well as the 2 children in between, I smiled with sentimental emotion. It goes by so fast. It’s true. “Don’t blink,” they say. In a blink, my two eldest children will begin driving soon and my youngest will be reading chapter books and so much more. 

No more diapers to change, or babies to nurse. No more strollers to push or car seats to lug in and out of cars. No more babies or toddlers to hold on my hip or in a baby carrier. No more Pre-K drops and pickups. No more mommy playgroups. No more dropping children off in my robe with un-brushed hair/teeth and a frazzled rushed morning state of mind. No more nursery rhymes or ABC’s or rocking to lullabies. No more finger painting or play dough and endless hours to play the day away. No more storytimes at the library or magical & silly games of make-believe. No more board books before bed. No more little voices with a cute little pitchy squeak. No more little hands to be held or 100 fingernails to clip. No more Barney or Dora, or Caliou (thank God) or Daniel Tiger. No more cutting food into tiny little pieces. 

No more children in tow during the weekdays is an epic transition, to say the least. It’s truly a bittersweet; looking behind to see no one in car seats napping but a gaggle of children texting instead. I will truly miss these precious little people and these stages of parenting, as hard and beautiful as they were. Little people have a way of seeing the world in such a pure, uninhibited, and un-jaded perspective, which is contagious to be around. As I move into this next stage of parenting, I can’t help but think that every stage of parenting is bittersweet on some level.

Hmmm, soooo, What in the world am I going to do all day?

It’s been a lot of hard work and crazy beautiful chaos getting my kids to where they are in this precious transitional stage of life, and I’m going to celebrate, by doing nothing! After I am done doing nothing, I am going to celebrate more! Celebrate survival! I’ll be celebrating all of the accomplishments, as well as all of the curveballs and aches and pains and multi-tasking and sleepless nights and poop/puke and ER visits and middle of the night bad dream visits, etc. etc. We parents know to raise humans from ages 0-5 takes superhuman abilities a lot of days.

What in the world am I going to do all day? At this moment, I plan to do nothing, but savor this milestone; amidst golden silence, with coffee in hand (of course!). Take time mamas. To hold their little hands and give extra hugs. This time will go so fast…