22 September 2010

Firsts

There's something about firsts that are not just memorable, but life changing. My granddaughter just started school in Trinidad. She begged her parents to go to school this year even though she's a little too young to be in kindergarten (4 1/2). It's a small school in a tiny village in the rain forest, though, so everyone who had to, agreed to her trying it out. Besides, her brother is a second grader in the same school and her sworn protector.

This is her uniform. She thinks she looks like a princess in it. I agree.


She was so excited to start, she practiced trying on her uniform every day for the week before school. She told her mother exactly how she wanted her hair done for the first day. Now, she gets herself showered, dressed and breakfast eaten in the morning as well as her homework done each evening so she's ready for school.

After the first day fear of "Oh, you're not staying at school with me Mom?", she's been fine, off in her new world. Her brother, the protector, is crushed though because she told him she wouldn't play with him at school: "You have your friends to play with and I have my friends." Both their lives are changed.


Made me think about the first time we do anything, when we get up our courage, prepare and just do it. All the fear and excitement and hope finally come together and we take another important step in our lives and change ourselves in the process. Good for my  brave granddaughter, good for each of us who overcome fear and move forward, good for us as a species as we evolve to better selves.

7 comments:

  1. Good for him - that he's sworn to protect that little Princess. HE is a Prince.

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  2. Big brothers have an amazing influence of those of us lucky enough to have one. I know your grandson will always be there for the Princess, even when he's bashing her upside the head, which he is sure to do at least once.

    One of my sons has been his sister's protector and champion all her life, but especially as she battled cancer. I know that just the knowledge that he was "there" for her made her stronger in her fight. And when the fight was won, he strapped on his combat boots (yes, truly, combat boots! He'll never do that again) and walked 39 miles with her to keep her going until the finish line.

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  3. What a sweet brother...such angels.

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  4. Patti, Vero. There is occasional teasing and harassing if not outright head bashing. But he's a remarkable big brother. My husband supported his younger sister in her fight with cancer every which way possible and then was part of a group of friends who tenderly cared for her as she died from it. He was so loving to her and grieved her so poignantly.
    M P Mama, I don't know about angels but great little humans on their journeys.

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  5. She is beautiful! And, indeed, that uniform does make her look like a princess! It is certainly pretty! Especially compared to the uniform the local periocial schools use here.
    She IS brave!

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  6. Thanks, Krissa. She is! She has now told her mother she doesn't need to walk her to school anymore. And from reading your blog, you know all about being brave, I'd say!

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