Yipee!

Today Wyatt and I both had our first day of school. As I've been explaining to him, he goes to school with kids and his teacher, Cindy, and I teach the grown-ups in another class. He's attending the Cuesta College Children's Center that is right on campus and conveniently located next to the building where I teach. I could not be more impressed with all of it and am very grateful that he gets to be part of the school.
We had a meeting last week where Wyatt got to check out the classroom and meet his teacher. He's been talking about her non-stop since. He also likes to talk about Mo the bunny who lives in the play yard. This morning he woke up at 6:30 asking if today was the day for school. I was encouraged to set aside an extra 30 minutes to stay with him on his first day to help with the adjustment. I wasn't expecting it to be too big of a deal but Wyatt has been warning me saying, "Wyatt might cry, Mommy," when we talk about school. Thanks for the heads up.
So, we get to the door of his classroom and he says, "Bye, Mommy," and waves me away. I have to go in with him to set his lunch down and help him wash his hands but he's leaning in for a goodbye kiss and hug almost immediately.
As I see friends who are parents post on Facebook about how sad it is to drop their kids off at school, I can't help but wonder if I'm the only parent who is absolutely thrilled to be in this new stage. There is no part of me that is sad or longing to go back in time. I am simply thankful that he's becoming more and more of himself and that I get to be part of that process. Seeing him walk into that classroom with a bright smile, knowing that his curiosity will be enhanced and his social skills will be developed is pretty much all this mom needed today. Thank you, God, for the gift that is preschool.