whileshenaps.com

Sewing, blogging, and creative business.

  • About
    • About Abby
  • Sewing
    • Abby Glassenberg Design Patterns
    • Free Patterns
    • Softie Sewing Tutorials
    • Softie Design Tutorials
    • Stuffed Animals (the book)
    • The Artful Bird
    • Featured Soft Toy Designers
    • Fostering Your Creativity
      • The Pattern That Changed My Life
    • Kid’s Crafts
    • Selling Your Handmade Softies
    • Sew-a-Longs
    • Studio Updates
    • Teaching
  • Blogging
    • Blog Design and Organization
    • Building Great Email Newsletters
    • How to Write a Great Blog Post
    • Increasing Your Traffic
    • Monetizing Your Blog
  • Business
    • Being Self-Employed
    • Legal and Financial Issues
    • Getting Published
      • Traditional Print Publishing
      • Self-Publishing
        • Patterns
      • Book Reviews
    • Online Culture of Craft
    • Ecommerce and Etsy
    • Marketing
    • Customer Service
  • The Podcast
    • Episodes
    • How to make a podcast
    • Podcast Recommendations
  • Shop
    • Ebooks
    • Digital Patterns
    • Print Patterns and Kits
    • Specialty Supplies
  • Courses
    • Email Marketing for Crafters
    • Learn to Sew Puzzle Ball Animals
  • Cart
    • My Account
    • Checkout

first day of school

August 31, 2011

DSC_0029

DSC_0059
Today is Stella's first day of Kindergarten and Roxanne's first day of second grade. 

The first day of Kindergarten gets me every time. It's the first day of what will hopefully be nearly two decades of formal education. Twenty years of being in classrooms with peers, looking around at them and what they are doing, competing with them. In some ways, before Kindergarten, you really believe that you are a superhero. You're the fastest runner, the best artist, the highest jumper, the best at everything. Being in school you suddenly realize that maybe some of that isn't true. That's what brings me tears.  For me school symoblizes the beginnings of self-doubt, or maybe that just comes with growing up. Either way, it's sad to see the invincibility of early childhood fade, even mingled with the excitement of a new frontier.

Filed Under: Studio Updates

« Sock Monkey Workshop at Gather Here
Hemostats Explained »

Comments

  1. Island Girl says

    August 31, 2011 at 9:55 am

    I almost got teary reading this!. It’s so true… But they find new things to love and learn too 😉

  2. Amy says

    August 31, 2011 at 9:58 am

    My son started kindergarten this year. He is my oldest and the first time I get to experience all that comes with having a little one start school. I want him to thrive in his new enviornment and continue his sponge like desire to learn.

  3. Tiffany Harvey says

    August 31, 2011 at 2:04 pm

    Roxanne is a knock-out!
    I bet with an older sibling the little ones are already pretty used to someone else being faster & better at most things. At least with their peers the footing is a little more equal!

  4. susana says

    August 31, 2011 at 9:24 pm

    Everyone has his/her own speciality that makes the world so beautiful and completed. Don’t counting others over ourselves, enjoy every happy day and appreciate every encounter!

  5. Beth says

    September 1, 2011 at 1:39 am

    Yes I also got a bit teary reading this!
    My daughter is in grade 1. They had their sports carnival a couple of days ago and she came lucky last in her running race, but was happy to have run anyway. Later one of her friends (who had come 3rd) teased her about coming last and she got upset about it. Oh that wonderful peer pressure! Wish you could just wrap them up in cotton wool, Bethx

  6. Loribeth says

    September 12, 2011 at 9:50 am

    My thoughts exactly about kindergarten…even though it has been many years since my children went, I still remember that loss of innocence as you left them there for the first day. I always felt that now they were part of the “institution”. Exciting and bittersweet all at once.

Welcome! I'm Abby Glassenberg and I'm glad you're here. While She Naps is a blog about designing and sewing stuffed animals and running a creative business.
email me
Facebook
Pinterest
LinkedIn

Bestselling Ebook

Join the Trade Organization

Etsy Shop

Books By Abby

Stuffed Animals Book Trailer

Categories

Archives

Copyright © 2025 · Abby Glassenberg · Design by Shay Bocks