This is Elias on his first day, ready with Star Wars lunch box (recycled from Joseph who found it in his parents' attic during their big move a few years ago). His backpack is Star Wars too. He fell on the sidewalk while playing outside the night before, cutting up his elbow (you'll notice his neon green band-aid) and scraped his nose. Poor thing.
This is Elias, my big kid, getting on the bus without even looking back at Ethan and I. Through the tinted window, I glimpsed Elias with an anxious look on his face as he sat down next to the neighbor girl, Alora. I pasted on a smile and waved. The bus driver closed the door and drove off. Just like that, it was over. My kid was off to kindergarten.
Joseph, who had off again because Baltimore County Public Schools closed again today because of power outages as a result of Hurricane Irene, took Ethan and Austen for a walk. The other moms wandered back to their respective houses. I walked back to our house alone to get my purse to go to work. I didn't allow myself to cry like I wanted to because I knew Elias would be all right, trusting that he's gonna thrive in school. And he will. And most importantly, I was so proud of Elias for boldly climbing on that bus despite how apprehensive he felt twenty minutes earlier.
This is Elias at the end of his first day of kindergarten. I got a big hug and a smile. "The bus ride was so awesome," he says first thing. Enough said.
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