Yesterday we hosted -- at the local community centre -- a fifth birthday party for my son. We invited everyone his age at his daycare as well as a bunch of friends who've already passed through the centre -- a reunion of sorts. We sent 19 invites, and 15 kids came, and while the craziness was pretty amazing, the kids had a lot of fun. It was the first time I've ever organized a birthday party that big, and I thought it was a good time to do so -- when The Boy is six months from leaving that daycare system for good, when the kids will disperse to their local schools and they may not see each other again.
The other parents agreed with me. We seem to share a sense of melancholy over the daycare ending. Many of the kids The Boy has been friends with for almost three or even four years -- some he's known since his toddler days, and they went though the system together. They've stayed friends through all of that, and I've gotten to know the other parents too. It's been a really, really good experience, one I'm grateful to have -- not only the daycare, but a sense of community and camaraderie in raising small children ... which is not an easy task.
And yet at the same time I'm feeling sad about my son moving on, I realize that I'm just about to start this all over again with The Girl. She's due for a spot in May, hopefully at the same toddler centre, and I'll get to know a whole new set of parents, this time as the mom of a daughter. And I sure hope that I'll get to host a big fifth birthday party for her with all her friends from all the years she was in care too.
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