Bridget's Pre-School Farewell

Today Bridget's pre-school experience ended with a sweet farewell program. Her pre-school experience opened her world up to other children she wasn't related to and to a wonderful faith-filled classroom setting. She picked out her favorite pretty dress to wear, and was eager for us to come to school. I put the time of the farewell into my phone incorrectly (45 minutes early), so Jim and I arrived incredibly early, and we had great seats.  They decorated the room with dinosaurs that she and her classmates had painted.

We were treated to wonderful songs, some with actions, some with rhythm sticks, but all with a proud grin from Bridget. She received her diploma and shook hands with her teacher. They ended the program with a song about a caterpillar that grew into a butterfly and each child was given thier cacoon. They had made caterpillars out of egg cartons that they painted and had placed them in the cacoons 2 weeks ago. Today they opened the cacoon and much to their delight found a butterfly. Bridget's innocent face was full of surprise as she opened her bag.

This year some of her innocence was replaced with experience. She learned that she could be successful on her own but the school also reinforced the importance of God and family. Bridget experienced the difficulty of navigating social situations. Some of the time she removed herself from social situations she didn't know how to navigate, and in the process spent a lot of time coloring pictures and has become quite good at drawing. But she also learned that friends can be a lot of fun and she formed a special bond with a boy in her class named Nate who also lives across the street. It will be great to have this friend waiting for the bus with us when kindergarten starts.

We celebrated the end of the year by taking her to lunch, just Jim, Bridget and I. I then had to get ready for Girl Scout camping this weekend and Jim set up a little tent for Bridget where she and Jim put together an Avengers puzzle. Bridget is so fun and ready for a great summer.