My Little Boy Is Growing Up.....

Last week I took Kellin down to his soon to be new school for kindergarten registration. He was very excited and curious about his new school. I, on the other hand, entered with hesitation and disbelief that my little Kellin will soon be walking the halls amongst so many BIG kids. It really freaked me out. As I sat there filling out the paperwork, I kept fretting over the idea that he will be riding on a bus, alone, to and from school everyday. I hated the bus when I was a kid. All kinds of things are said & done in the back of the bus...I remember! And just to think that he will have to get on and off the bus by himself and find his way to/from the classroom has me paranoid. What if he gets lost? What if some stranger comes up to him? Can I really trust the public school system with my child? Ok, so maybe I'm being a tad melodramatic here, but seriously, it's a big step for me, and him of course. I think that's why they do the kindergarten registration in March...to give the first time moms 6 months to get used to the idea. I think I am the most worried about the whole playground/friends issue. Worried if he will make friends, if he will get teased or picked on, or if he will pick up bad behaviors from other kids. I know we all went through it, and for the most part we all survived (not without scars though). But up until this point I have pretty much been able to control what he is exposed to, what he is influenced by and he has been pretty protected from all of that stuff. It's hard to let go of that control and trust that what we have taught him in these short five years will stick with him as he is around so many different kids & influences. In preschool they are so protected, no older kid influence, no under-paid stressed out & frustrated teachers, just happy teachers & well-behaved, respectful kids (for the most part). This is going to take some getting used to...
On a related note, as I have been trying to get used to this whole idea, I have noticed Kellin really growing up. Just over the past month or so he has seemed to mature in certain ways. He will offer to set the table for dinner, offer to clean up Ethan and get him out if his high chair, and even make his bed in the morning without me asking him to. He seems to be grasping more mature concepts, understanding things more and able to reason through stuff. He is full of questions about everything from why does it rain to where does our poop go when we flush the toilet. Up until recently, he has been a huge fan of Little Bear & Franklin, Maggie & the Ferocious Beast and other shows on Noggin. It seems now he is requesting Batman, Spider Man, Ben 10: Alien Force and other more grown up boy shows with more mature concepts & themes. I have been screening them to make sure the content isn't too mature. I'm not a big fan of the fighting in the shows, and it's hard to find that balance between allowing him to grow up & keeping him innocent. Well, I think that's enough for now...I'm sure I will have more to write about in regards to this in the coming months.