I’ve been trying to reorganize my family photos all summer. My three boys were little before the days of digital cameras, so I don’t have the luxury of simply storing all those pictures on a flash drive and tucking the drive into a desk drawer. This project actually requires sorting the photos by hand! Not my favorite project.

Of course, the enjoyable part of this job is taking time to recall all those wonderful days when my boys were young. It’s so hard to believe my youngest is now a junior in college – not so little anymore.

For each of my boys, I have a series of pictures from the first day of school. As we prepared the night before – filling the backpack with supplies, making sure they had lunch money, laying out the clothes they wanted to wear – I always made sure to put the camera in a prominent place so I wouldn’t forget to snap a picture as they headed out the door in the morning. As I look back at that series of photos now, I catch a glimpse of trepidation as Jeff, Brian or Chris are about to leave Mom behind and get on the bus for the first day of kindergarten, but I also see excitement and confidence about what lies ahead.

I was never one of those teary-eyed parents who moped around all day once my boys headed off to their first day of school. Did I miss having them around? Of course. But I always had a strong sense that stepping away from Mom was truly an essential step in growth and happiness for them, so I didn’t have trouble letting go on that first day of school. I knew my husband and I had done our very best to ensure kindergarten success by providing a safe and secure Christian home, filled with unconditional love and support.

At the end of that momentous first day of school each year, we celebrated with a special family meal. It usually consisted of the boys’ favorites – Dad’s famous spaghetti, pizza or cheeseburgers. And over the years we learned not to press for too many details about their first day of school. If we listened and waited, inevitably the highs and lows of their day would spill out and I’d say a prayer of thanks for the way God had sent His little ones safely on their way once again.

Thumbuddy Goes To School will prepare your child well for their first day of school. Not only will Thumbuddy encourage them to make good choices, have good manners and be kind and thoughtful, but the encouraging words and loving message will build up your child’s self worth and position them for kindergarten success.

ThumbPeople’s children’s books, positive kid’s music, preschool curriculum activities and soaking music surround families with uplifting and encouraging words that help kids and adults to see themselves as the wonderful miracles God created them to be!