Grasshopper New Media Presents...

There are times in your life you just have to get through, day by day, and you know there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. This summer is one of those times for me, knowing Kindergarten is around the corner. I work from home as a freelance photo editor so that I can be with my boy as much as possible. I wonder if I’m delusional trying to work hard and parent well at the same time, but I do try. I write up paperwork while he runs in the backyard. He creates Bionicles while I read manuscripts. I type emails as he drives cars and makes towers at my feet. I look at pictures of sharks or volcanoes while he sits beside me and asks questions.

Most of the time I think, this is my last summer with him as my sweet little boy. My last summer before he gets all sarcastic and cynical from going to school everyday and being around all those mischievous little children. Then I realize, as fun as I think he is, he’s the cheeky kid that other mothers worry about.

Top 10 reasons I know my kid is ready to go to Kindergarten:

1. I know he can read, because I catch him doing it when I spy on him, but he pretends he can’t when I’m with him. What? I’m not above spying on a 5 year old.

2. He wants to pick out his own clothes everyday, whether they match or not, and no longer wants to wear his formerly beloved character t-shirts. Yes! Whoops, did I say that out loud?

3. He can stay five days at his grandmother’s and not remember one thing he did there. Even though I have photographic evidence of fishing and horseback riding. I’ll never find out what he learned at school – just like every other parent in the country.

4. His favorite toys are binder clips, paper clips, calculators, and other various supplies he steals from my home office. Yes, I do hide the thumbtacks. Should I warn his teacher?

5. I’m afraid the cat is going to run away from home if he’s forced to play with that string even one more time.

6. He prefers How It’s Made, or anything else on the Discovery Channel, to any cartoon, any day. I know you know I feel about that! Woohoo!

7. He understands a nickel is better than a penny, and a quarter is better than a nickel. And he’s willing to clean under the couch in order to find any of them. Who needs a cleaning service?

8. I have to ask him “did you use soap?” twenty times before he admits he didn’t. Perfect for catching all those germs and viruses that he needs to build his immune system.

9. He can repeat every word I say, as I say it, in a sing-songy tone. An ideal skill for rote memorization of spelling and addition.

10. He had the chicken pox these past two weeks, so we know he won’t miss any days of school for it later. Why, yes, he did, in fact, have the vaccine.

Did I only say 10? I can easily go on…

11. His typical response to any question asked of him is: whatever.

12. His typical response to any statement said to him is: a hand in the air. (As in, talk to the hand. I have no idea where he got that.)

13. He wakes up every morning and asks if today is the first day of school. Dude, I wish. Or do I?

Anything to add? How did/do/will you know when your kid is ready for school?

by Annette K.

Photo graciously provided by the author, through a Creative Commons license, some rights reserved