Today is an important day. A day of the utmost importance in fact. Because today my beautiful, dramatic, funny, kind, witty, clever and sometimes shy little girl started pre-school. This morning, instead of having our usual lazy breakfast that we’ve become accustomed to lately, we joined all the other parents who have to jump out of bed and spend a frantic hour getting the children washed and dressed, fed, lunches packed and everyone loaded into the car in under an hour! The fact that I awoke at 6.30 am with nervous and excited anticipation probably helped us get out the door bang on time! Poor Amelia said to me when I woke her up at 7.30 am,
‘Mommy, It’s still nighttime!’
I smiled in recognition of the fact that little does Amelia know, but she has a lifetime ahead of her where she will think most days, it’s still nighttime when the alarm goes off!
Amelia and I chose her new lunch box with great care last week. Her Aunty Ev bought her a new Tinkerbell schoolbag for the occasion which has earned her mahoosive brownie points with her niece. The bag is nearly as big as her and she insisted on filling it with almost everything from her bedroom!
I took a photograph of her as she headed out the door this morning to mark the occasion. (Ok I may have taken lots of photographs!)
My plan is to take a picture of each of the children on the first day of school each year and ask them what they want to be when they grow up. Then on the last day of college, when they graduate, I will hand them a photobook of all their answers!
I had no idea what Amelia would say this morning, as she changes her mind so often! She has said recently that she wants to be a writer like Mummy, but yesterday a painter (like Uncle John) was mentioned and a fireman (like Fireman Sam) is always a favourite. So when she said she wanted to be a Footballer Girl this morning, I was more than a little surprised. Her Daddy will be very happy.
I must confess as I dropped her off to her preschool this morning, I was a little unprepared for how emotional I felt. She looked both vulnerable and tiny and yet at the same time so grown up as she toddled in with her Tinkerbell bag proudly strapped to her back.
Its funny, every stage of Amelia’s little life so far, I have said to myself, this is my favourite age so far. So I have come to the realisation that no matter what age she is, it will always be my favourite age, because it’s Amelia’s.
I’m so proud of her and am in constant awe that this little fiery-haired little beauty is my daughter. How I ever got to be so lucky I’ll never know.
I know that they say pride comes before a fall. Well so be it, because if I fall from being proud of Amelia, I’ll fall with a great big sloppy smile on my face.
So, I’ll sign off now and have a quiet coffee as I sit down to watch a certain TV show on TV3 called The Morning Show. I’ve heard a rumour that a Wexford Author might be joining Martin and Claire on the couch!
Chat soon,
Carmel x
