Today this girl folded laundry, helped pluck and clean chickens, dressed up her sister, fought with her brother, drew with mommy’s iphone app, hung out with grandma, ate pizza, and went to watch a rodeo. Just an ordinary Friday!
Here’s the result of her handiwork:
What a great doll, right? I totally understand her.
Anyhow, my little big girl is about to cross a major milestone – she is entering the first grade at our local Waldorf school in a couple of weeks. Hold me!
How will she manage sitting at a little desk?
How will she manage the bus ride?
How will she do socially?
She is extremely excited about all of the above. This Yiddishe mama, on the other hand? I am excited and extremely nervous at once.
I gotta say, she loved kindergarten.
She was well liked by her teachers. Her end-of-year report said that Josie “likes to work and to play house, where she plays out preparing food and caring for children.”
She came home beaming every day. But Waldorf kindergarten is different – there are no lessons and no little desks. Instead, the day is divided between outside time, walks, free play, nap time, setting and clearing the table for lunch, helping clean up a little, doing artwork, and story time. Sometimes they baked bread. Sometimes they chopped vegetables for soup. One time they made applesauce, the other time they made sauerkraut.
The first grade will certainly be a big change from that.
I am really nervous!
Although I suspect that it’s in part because her crossing the rainbow bridge into the first grade foreshadows her crossing it back out of the eighth.
I can’t say that I’m ready.
I can’t even say that I’m ready for the first.
But such is the nature of motherhood – I’m never, ever gonna be.
