We Have a Kindergartener?!
We blinked and we officially have a kindergartner. This fall has been so busy for our family, I haven’t had a chance to share this big milestone with you. That said I can’t express how proud I am of this big girl. It’s been a period of positive growth and big change for Naiya and we couldn’t be more proud of her. As I look at these photos, I truly wonder where our baby went. How is she five and when did she start looking like a big kid?! Other parents have always warned me about how fast time flies with kids but there truly is nothing like it.
We snapped these photos for one of my favorite fine jewelry brands, Cast Jewelry just before Naiya started school this fall She had so much fun trying on all of the beautiful gold pieces (from the chic gold bracelets to gorgeous rings). Needless to say,I can already imagine her teenage years will be filled with her “borrowing” my favorite pieces (and probably coaxing Sadie to do the same!). Clearly, I’m in trouble.
Naiya’s Kindergarten Update
Overall, while Naiya’s transition to kindergarten has been positive, it’s also been harder than I expected. After I ugly cried my eyes out like a baby at her Nursery School graduation, I felt a lot of trepidation for her to start elementary school. That said, I did my very best not to let her see my fear and instead, I focused my energy on how exciting this new start would be for her. Phil and I pumped her up all summer.
Naiya’s birthday is August 30th and Phil and I went back and forth a number of times about putting her into T-K (transitional kindergarten) versus her jumping right into kindergarten since she would be one of the youngest kindergartners in class. In the end, Eventually, Naiya’s amazing preschool teacher helped us to chose kindergarten and we’re so happy we did.
That said, coming out of a play-based pre-school that felt like a family, kindergarten really does feel like a big change! There are so many new kids (Naiya didn’t know anyone in her class), there’s less play time, and everything feels so much more like “real” school!
Of course this is a good thing and Naiya is already learning so much but when I tuck her in at night, I can tell she’s feeling the big transition. It reminds me of the Disney movie “Inside Out” where the main little girl in the film starts to have real-life experiences that are a rude awakening to the real world. They start chipping away at her idyllic childhood and shape her into the girl she’s going to be. Of course, this sounds super dramatic but after becoming a parent, that movie became even more dead-on to me!
The hardest part for Naiya has been school drop off because she has to walk into school by herself (for safety purposes, parents can’t walk kids inside). Every day is getting easier and she’s gaining more confidence. I can’t wait to see how much she grows a few months out and even through the end of the school year. She’s really killing it!
Photography: Azusa Takano