The End of an Era

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“MOM!!  MOM!!”

I look up from mowing the lawn to see Declan screaming at me with his face all scrunched up.

I released the handle on the mower to shut it off.

“Declan!  What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I just saw a butterfly!” He yelled.

“Oh,” I let out the breath I realized I was holding, “That’s great hon!”

And off Declan skipped looking at the nature that surrounded him and I pulled the mower back to life.

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“Mom, I got a question.”

“What’s that, Declan?”

“Are gooses predators?”

“It’s geese.  When you have more than one goose the name changes to geese.”

“I want to say gooses.  Are they predators?”

“No, geese or gooses are not predators.”

“Then why are they the ones to “get” the person in “Duck, Duck, Goose?”

I smiled so big I thought my face would crack and stifled a laugh.

“I don’t know, big guy.  That’s a good question!”

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“Mom, I got a question.”

“What’s that, Declan?”

“When we go on vacation we will have to use Zillow on our way home.  Because Zillow helps you find your way home.”

My eyes were squinty.  What was he saying?

“Know what else you can do before we go on vacation?”

“What is that?”

“Check your credit score with Credit Karma.  It’s free and doesn’t affect your credit score.”

Commercials.  He’s been watching too much TV.  Got it.

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“Declan, do you want to be in karate lessons?”

“What?!  No!!  I don’t want to be in them!  I want to take them!”

“Right,” I smiled and nodded, “Okay, great!  I think it will be cool!  You get to wear a white costume and you will learn a lot of stuff!”

“Yeah!  Will I learn how to break a board?”

“I dunno!  Maybe!”

“Yeah, I bet I will learn how to break a board and get through a bunch of lasers!”

Mmmmmmmmaybe………

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It’s happened!  Declan had his last day of afternoon Kindergarten yesterday.

I am so excited for him.  He did so well this year.

Now he is a big first grader.  Which is great!

It will be a big change for him.  For the past 7 years, if he was in school, he has only gone to school for less than 3 hours a day.  Now he will be expected to go for a whole school day.

I think he will do okay.  May be a bit rocky for him at first, but once he settles in, I am sure he will do great.  And I know if he has a hard time, there will be plenty of people there to support him.

For me, I am in a pickle.  I am facing the end of an era.

Twelve and a half years ago I started mommying.  And since that time I have always had a child in tow wherever I went.

My last two years with Declan have been filled with some pretty funny conversations.  The ones listed above are from this past week!  So you can imagine what enjoyment I have had talking with Declan for two years!  The boy cracks me up!

I am going to miss all our talks.

But I am so happy for Declan!  My big first grader!20180607_121915

20 thoughts on “The End of an Era

  1. I pray that the school get their eggs in one basket, and that he gets all the help he needs. My granddaughter never has, even though my daughter spends every day trying to fix things.

    1. I am hopeful! They seem to have Declan pretty well covered. That is a shame about your granddaughter. I hope things get better for her at school!

  2. Just think of all that free time… I love his shirt. Ben wore one today that reads “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good”😂😂 from Harry Potter, but it’s fitting.
    They grow up so fast! My first is 29, my “baby” will be 24 in December and Ben will be 10 in September.😮

    1. That shirt sounds awesome! Love it! Yeah, I asked Declan what he wanted to wear and he picked that shirt! So cute! They sure do – you’re right!

  3. Parenting is one of those weird jobs that when you do it right you work yourself out of a job. It is an end to an era, but Robyn, it’s the beginning of another new adventure! 🙂

  4. Aww! Such a sweetheart. Literal thinking but not just that, you can see he will be off and do well. May he always keep the enthusiasm about seeing a butterfly. That’s some superb mommying, Robyn! And well-deserved time. Wish you all a wonderful summer ahead!

  5. Can’t wait to hear stories of his 1st grade year! Hope they are all about how he conquered his challenges as they arose.

  6. Hi there! I know I’ve been kinda a stranger lately. Fell away from the blog scene a bit trying to pursue picture book writing. I know you are busy but I just want to encourage you to think about writing kids books inspired by Declan. He is an awesome kid and the world could learn a lot from him and you. Also, there is an agent I came across who has interest in taking blogs to books. Check him out at @ericsmithrocks on Twitter and http://ericsmithrocks.com/mswl/. Just a thought!
    Congrats Declan!!!

    1. Thank you so much for the encouragement and information! I will check him out. Good to hear from you! Hope things are going well and good luck to you with the picture book writing – how exciting! Thanks again for the info – I will look into it and him!

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