Graduation

Bela and her Snow Princess

Today was Bela's kindergarten graduation, of sorts. They don't exactly graduate at her school, but the kindergartners who are moving on and out spend the last month of school hand-sewing puppets for a show they put on during their last days as students. This show is their gift to the parents and the school, a rite of passage for them, and a chance for weepy moms (who me?) to tremble and sniffle at the sight of their all-of-a-sudden-how-did-this-happen big kid.

I was informed early in the day that I would not be allowed to record this show for Chris, who could not make it this afternoon. Although I understand that we, as parents, tend to spend more time video taping and photographing our cherished family moments and life experiences than we spend being present in them (hey, isn't that what Chris gets PAID to do?) I was initially agitated. Why schedule this for the middle of a workday?

My irritation waned as the show started and Mae was situated on my lap. I hid my emotional face in Mae's braids and sat back and enjoyed the show. What a collection of knobby kneed, toothless little wonders they were, and the creativity that shone through in their original puppets was so darn touching. Each child designed their puppet and created a personality for them as well, and the story unfolded from there. There were cowboys and wizards, queens and princesses. And, well, yes. That was it. I suppose in the world of a six year old, is anything else really necessary?

The show was followed by a little picnic in the school yard. The only thing keeping me from sobbing into my cup of homemade lemonade was the comfort of the knowledge that even though Bela is moving on from her beloved school, we as a family are not. As long as we can keep scraping up the tuition, Mae will have her chance to make a wizard or a princess or whatever tickles her fancy when her time comes as well..