Despite his obvious excitement about going to kindergarten, Bowden slowed a little once we actually got to the school. Once outside of the room, he was close to us, but still on his toes. He did not really want me to take a picture of him at his desk, but reluctantly agreed. He had his name tag on, his backpack stowed in his cubby, and he went off to play. Josh and I hung out with the multitude of other parents, watching and waiting to be kicked out by the teacher. Bowden would come back periodically and check in with us...I pretended to not want to go. I told him that I had loved kindergarten, and I wanted to stay instead of him. He laughed, "Noooo, Mommy!" When I asked him if he wanted us to leave, he said, "Not yet. Stay a couple more minutes."
The kids kept coming- there are thirty in his class this year! He came up to me at one point and said, "There are too many people!" He went into the little corner by the books and found a magnet game.

Bowden knows about half of the kids from Awana and preschool, and Idyllwild is a small town, so I knew most of the parents.
Mrs. Adler and Bowden with a little girl I don't know...
Mrs. Adler said, "Okay, parents, time to go!" There were some nervous kids, but Bowden was not one of them anymore, and we left- although many parents were not satisfied with that ending and had to look in the room.

Bowden's bag, hung outside his classroom.
At noon, a whole hour and a half earlier than preschool got out, I went to pick up Bowden. I got him from the lunch room, where he was sitting with Lilly D. and Destinee. He loved especially the bag of milk that you could stab a straw into.
He wasn't anxious to go- he loved it. He told me that Mrs. Adler really was nice, "just like Teacher Cathy said she was." He liked learning time best of all.

"What did you learn about?" I asked.

"Oh, mostly the rules."

We went home and he said that his only homework was to practice writing his name, so
we did it- Lucy started learning to write an, "L."

I saw his teacher on Friday for a few minutes in the hall, and she said, "Bowden's doing great."

I asked her how she was (30 children!) and she said, "Oh! You must read to Bowden! His comprehension is unbelievable. He's not going to have any problems."

I feel pretty good about it- and I didn't really feel like crying. Josh misted up when we prayed for him after we dropped him off...it was hardest for the Daddy, I guess.