Sad goodbyes

Last week was the last day for schools here. But what a milestone it marked for Sara. That was the last day of kindergarten for her. It didn't occur to her then, when she was getting dressed to go to school, that that was going to be the last day of her being a kindergartener and the last day of being classmates with kids whom she's been with since she was three.

When I got home on Friday, the helper was telling me that the kids were crying and hugging each other as they left the school premises. Apparently, the teachers were also teary eyed and there were some tears from the parents themselves as they picked up the kids from the school one last time. Sara told me she would miss her friends and teachers.

Life really does come full circle. I remember her first day of pre-nursery. There was anxiety and there were lots of tears, too. And now, fast forward to four years later, there were still anxiety and tears but of a different type.

I'm happy that my daughter could feel and understand the meaning of that day. To console her, I told her about the dance practice sessions that she will be going to, as she and her friends prepare for the year-end concert in December. And that she would still get to see them and her teachers and even then, it's not necessary to think of goodbyes as the end of the friendship as she will remember her happy days at the school for a long time more.

All I can say is, my baby girl is moving on to the next phase of her life. And she will learn to adapt to her environment, while remaining true to herself.