Bennett has always been a sweet child.

As a baby he would always lay his head on my shoulder while I sang to him before bed; And never tears. He was always thoughtful, careful, and calculated. Never needed baby gates, drawer locks, or anything of the sort, because he was very content to play with what I gave him. He still almost never has tantrums.

So I knew the day I sent him off to school would be a hard one for me. It's never easy to send a child off into the world hoping you have taught them enough, and that the other kids and teachers will recognize what an amazing little person you have created.

But to be honest, as the day grew closer, I was really just excited. Not 50% excited and 50% nervous. Just 100% excited. Maybe I was just being a bad mom, but after a long summer of being pregnant, I knew the kids were ready to be engaged and learning and interacting with friends.

Shopping for school clothes was easy. No sentimental thoughts, just another check mark on my to do list. Backpacks, haircuts, even the family night before school went without a hitch. And without tears.

The interesting part was how unaffected Bennett was by this whole experience. I kept asking if he was nervous and he would give me this look as if to say "Nervous? Why would I be?" To him, kindergarten was just any old day. And for someone so cautious and usually timid, it was clear that he was ready.

The day came and I walked him to the line where all the kindergartners gathered. He stood patiently there with a backpack way to big for his little body and looked around with a blank expression. No fear. No crying. His teacher came out to lead them in to the classroom. The boy in front of him began to lose it. "No mom! No! Don't leave me!" His mom broke away from his grip as the teacher gathered him up and lead the crying child inside. And there stood Bennett, unfazed, still walking into school. He didn't even look back at me.

Something about that boy embodied the Bennett I thought I would see walking into Kindergarten that day. But he had grown. He was confident and happy. As I walked away I felt tears on my face. I was shocked! Surely I wasn't crying. This was my second round at this after all, an old hat. And Bennett clearly wasn't sad, why was I?

And that was exactly the point. Seeing how far he had come had struck a chord with me. He wasn't the boy that wilted at every little thing, he was strong and ready.

But a minute later the feeling was gone. I was back to taking care of another little one: holding hands, buckling, singing songs, and watching the process begin again.