All of us learn to write in the second grade...

"All of us learn to write in the second grade. Most of us go on to greater things"....this quote from Bobby Knight cracks me up, but it has me thinking about my own baby who is starting second grade this year. I have one more week of summer vacation before school gets back in session and Sweet Pea will be starting her first day of Second Grade. I look back at the years and how fast they seemed to go by and for some reason this year is worse for me than Kindergarten or first grade. Maybe because it is no longer new to her. She has already had a few years of reading, writing and arithmetic; the homework and daily monotony is no longer fresh and exciting to her; she's been there, done that. I pray that she never becomes jaded and that she never loses her enthusiasm for learning. I hope she can make friends who share her interests and I hope her teachers are a positive influence in her daily life. She's so enthusiastic about school and she loves to learn new things, she's a sponge and is a genuinely compassionate, caring and reflective child. I will hold onto this time and remember it fondly when the inevitable happens...when she will begin to complain and gripe about the fact she has to go to school, when the wonder years begin to fade..it makes me sad to think of her becoming a pessimistic, brooding pre-teen...ugh!!!
I vividly remember second grade...I remember being a blond, freckled face girl who was timid and scared of just about everything. My teacher, Mrs. Jones, was very stern and instilled in us that school was our job...it was the most important thing, as a 7 year old, that we had to do...I remember being very anxious if I didn't do my homework or if I couldn't finish a paper...I remember still wanting to play at home and not being able to have that same feeling of freedom at school. But, I still remember my friends, teachers and Principal at my beloved little Catholic school. I think it is the very first year that I can actually recall with clarity....
My hope for Sweet Pea is that this year be her best...I want this year to start her love of school, friends and learning. I want this year to be the year that sets the precedent for the remainder of her education. I wish for her everything this world has to offer and more.
For all you mothers who have children heading off to school in the next few weeks, I wish you and your children all the joy that comes along with learning new and exciting things. My heart breaks at the thought of my baby growing up, but I marvel at the person she is becoming and I hope that the dream I have for her in the future is surpassed by the one she dreams for herself....and I have faith that she, in the words of Bobby Knight, "will go on to better things"....