First Grade

First grade should come with a warning label: “This is the year your child grows up”. Everyone gets emotional about kindergarten, which is completely valid, but children are still so little in kindergarten. They typically have those chiclet front teeth and sweet little voices holding on to that young innocence and wonder of early childhood.

To me, first grade is the real year of big change and growth. Your child leaves the little years behind and officially enters the big kid years. And it hits you like a ton of bricks. Kindergarten Lucas and first grade Lucas are so different. Not a bad different, it’s all good change, but it’s not easy saying goodbye to the little towhead you keep picturing in your mind. I look back on photos and video and truly wonder where the time went.

Now we are seven years old and really coming into our own. Lucas is developing sport interests, hobbies, friendships, and academic skills. He is becoming more independent and needs me less and less each day. The milestones are bigger and deeper now. Instead of learning to talk, we are learning to use our voice for good: to be kind, inspiring, and wise with our words. Instead of learning to walk, we are learning HOW to walk in the footsteps of Christ. Instead of learning our ABC’s and 123’s we’re reading for meaning and applying critical thinking skills to solve math problems. Seven-year-olds are pretty amazing! No wonder first grade has always been my favorite grade been to teach.

While we have reached so many milestones, there are still many to come. In the coming years, we will grow in our wisdom, discernment, and faith. Next year, we will receive the Body of Christ for the first time! We will continue to develop our talents and interests. We’ll take risks and succeed. We’ll take risks and fail.

And even though a lot has changed, much remains the same. There are still times we cry and need our mommy. Lucas continues to express wonder about the world around him and still wants a story read to him at bedtime. We cuddle, hug, kiss, and do all things we did in those early years. We laugh together, pray together, adventure together. I remind myself Lucas is still so young at heart, and even though he’s not in the “little years” anymore, he’s still little.

I have heard once your child begins the elementary school years, the time just flies by. I can see the truth in that because it seems he just began kindergarten and now we are almost to second grade in the blink of an eye. Andrew is growing at a much slower pace (and that’s okay!) but it makes this feel like a first experience with my second born. Lucas is a fast learner who craves independence. He astounds me every day with his thoughts, words, and actions.

It does grip my heart to know Lucas is growing up. What I would give to snuggle my newborn by the Christmas tree one more time or hear his high-pitched toddler voice name all the trains in Sodor. It’s hard not getting emotional over saying goodbye to those precious years that go too fast.

However, there is always more! It’s an absolute joy watching your kids grow each year and see God’s plan for them unfold. He can do so many things he couldn’t before: read a book, catch a fish, dribble a basketball, solve a story problem. We have inside jokes, can chat about various topics, recall special memories, play more challenging games. All of this and more bring so much light and joy to our family and it’s what I turn to when I miss my baby and toddler.

First grade is coming to an end, and it’s been quite the year! A big year of change and growth. I am beyond proud of Lucas of how he has adjusted to a new state and school and his accomplishments this year. He’s such a great kid (also ornery) but I wouldn’t change it! Our boys are the biggest freaking blessings and I thank God every day for this family I prayed for.

So, if you are feeling sad about leaving those little years behind, know that there is always joy in motherhood no matter what stage you’re in. With growth, comes extraordinary change and new experiences that bring a whole other level of happiness and gratitude. We experience many sunsets on this journey, emotionally closing chapters. But with each sunset comes a new sunrise. And that is exactly what first grade has felt like: a beautiful sunrise of a new day, a new chapter of more to come.