There is a strong shadow where there is much light 

~ Fridgesays

Quote by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe.

To my little dude,

Our diary is always a whirlwind of dates, appointments and activity and there is a huge transition that is dominating the pages in September, you start school.

From the moment you were born and placed in my arms you have been transitioning, it has been a blessing to watch. I cannot underestimate this, many parents are worried for the loss of their babies, the independence of going to school can be concerning and I often hear comments like ‘It feels like only yesterday she was born’ or ‘He isn’t ready for school’ for you im excited to see your world grow and skills expand. I’m extremely at home in the school environment as Mummy is a teacher and this feels a blessing and a curse – I know the highs and lows like the back of my hand.

At four years old your humour is a magnet greater than any computer could create. Just this very evening we laid on your bed and you played me twinkle twinkle on your harmonica – it sounded dreadful, but your laughter was infectious as you broke out into a variation of the song which began twinkle, twinkle chocolate bar…” this is a gift that it precious, don’t let other children’s comments curve your humour.

At the moment you wear a combination of clothes and then you usually like to add an accessory or twenty from various Marvel characters, following fashion is fine but I’ll always support your creative flair and imagination.

I think you’ll like the staff and you already have many friends to play with in your class. You’ll have opportunities that I could never give you to socialise and learn, I really want you to grow in your own way, not with my regrets or desires forced upon you. To make this easier I’m going to make a few promises…

  • I promise not to make you do a extra curricular club because I did it, or Daddy did it…you can pick
  • I promise that as you learn to read, I will still read to you as long as you want
  • I promise to listen to you talk about your day, rather than hurl questions at you as I walk through the door
  • I promise you that as you grow older and forget things I will never drop a PE kit / lunch box to you, save your phone credit. Resilience and organisation are self taught by error.
  • I promise not to show my anxiety over your first few weeks at school.
  • I promise to help you in any way I can to fulfill your potential, but your happiness is paramount.
  • I promise to back you up when issues arise. As long as you are always honest with me.
  • I work full time and will rarely be at the gates, but if you need me I will always be there. I will also be there any time I can, when our school diaries don’t synchronise.

When you are older, we will look back at this September as a small step on a wonderful and exciting journey that you are taking. It’s not always a parents duty to be next to you, but I will always be a shadow.

Love you to the moon,

Mummy x

P.s. Good luck to the staff trying to get you to sit still and hold a pen.

44 thoughts on “There is a strong shadow where there is much light ”

  3. This actually made my eyes well up a little. Our eldest starts school next week too and I can completely relate to this. Your promises are perfect and I hope that I can keep the same for Miss Tot. Thank you for sharing this. x

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  4. good luck on your son’s first day at school. If his harmonica playing is that bad, do yourself a favour and try to steer him away from taking up the violin later on…….lol #triumphanttales

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  5. What a lovely post, we’re a year on from starting school and it was incredibly emotional. Good luck to him (and you). You will both be just fine x
    #TriumphantTales

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  8. Your son sounds like just the kind of boy I would love to have in my class. Good luck to you both but it sounds to me like he will love it and embrace the challenges with humour. #thesatsesh

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  10. good luck mummy and little one, four is so young isn’t it. This brings back such emotion and memories, sending positive vibes and a huge hug xx #thesatsesh

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  12. The most gorgeous letter, and the best promises. I too work full time, but will be there if J needs me at a drop of a hat – thanks for hosting and inviting me to this linky x

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  13. I love the promise of letting him choose his own after-school clubs- so important to have their own interests. Great post. #thesatsesh

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  15. This is a beautiful post 🙂 My kids are now 7 and 9 and that first year in school is so magical, you really get to see their little personalities emerging. And I still read to both of mine too – no sign of them wanting me stop, thank goodness! #thesatsesh

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  16. Awwww – this is beautiful – I love the comment about building resilience by error – so true! I LOVE reading to my boy and even though he doesn’t need me to anymore (he has eaten up his chapter books this summer) I was only thinking tonight how lucky I am that I still get the snuggles and reading and I hope it lasts much longer… good luck this week Team Fridge!!! xxx #thesatsesh

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  17. Lovely! My son just started school. He was more than ready to start and so excited about it all. So that makes me happy. And I was ready to have some of my own time too. I don’t understand that want to keep their kids little forever! Lol

    Good luck!

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  19. Always be a shadow. I love that. Thank you for the positivity in this post. I needed it tonight! Thanks so much for joining us at #TriumphantTales. Hope to see you again tomorrow.

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  22. This is so lovely and really struck a chord with me as my eldest is off to school on Monday. I love your list of promises, this wil be a wonderful post to look back on xx #thesatsesh

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