We live about a mile from the elementary school where my daughter will begin kindergarten in less than...sigh...two weeks. Micayla (5), Luke (3) and I (along with 8 month old Timmy) have been practicing our means to get to school: biking vs. walking. I insist that it's healthy for us to transport ourselves to school sans a motorized vehicle.
Our journey is a comical one with comments like: "But I'm sweating!" and "You're doing great! Keep pumping your legs. Pedal, pedal!" and "Mommy! I didn't even crash my head on the fence this time [when I fell off my bike]!" and "My legs are tired..." and "We're almost there. Keep going!" and "We made it! I'm proud of you!" and "Can we go home now?"
I'm dripping sweat by the time we get to school. We stop at the back gate for a water, snack and story break before completing the second half of our roundtrip journey. It's a worthwhile endeavor, right?
It's teaching perseverance. Building endurance. Inspiring teamwork ("We need to stay together. Good job pedaling up the hill!"). Practicing listening skills and growing trust ("Stop at the stop sign."). All these important life skills just getting to kindergarten!
So, does this mean I can keep my baby girl home for another year? We will continue to bike or walk to school Monday-Friday, but I won't actually leave her there. Is that ok?
In less that two weeks, we will pass our daughter over to a teacher we do not yet know. Our firstborn will be entrusted to someone else's care for eight hours per day, five days a week. Our preparation for this is not merely walking or riding bikes to school, but spending that time praying for this teacher...and all the students, teachers and administrators at the school.
Because five years really has passed way too fast. Way. Too. Fast.
So, we will take our time getting to school, making memories as we go. Even if we are sweaty by the time we get there!
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