My Baby Bird Flies Away

When she was just a year old, both her doctor and our Parents As Teachers educator warned me that her independent, strong-willed spirit would drive me absolutely crazy when she was a child. And it certainly has.
What they also told me was that those characteristics would also be her greatest strengths, and that one day I would come to appreciate them....perhaps when she was a teenager or a young adult who was able to negotiate the world firmly on her own terms.
I think they were both perhaps wrong. She's only five and a half, and yet already I'm grateful that my Princess is so very strong. She left home this morning with a heart filled with excitement and joy, and I find that not only am I proud of her, but I am also proud of my husband and I.
I've never been particularly fond of the quote which says that the most important thing we can give our children is roots and wings. Today, though, for the first time I completely understand its meaning and know that's exactly what my husband and I have done.

Kindergarten is going to be SO much fun!

(Thank You to Princess's teacher, who suggested that we meet Princess at school after putting her on the bus this morning. It was the perfect compromise...and for those of you who don't know her, Princess was the one who insisted on the bus.)