But I don't want to go to First Grade!

Mrs. Potts smiled her sweet smile. "Class, when you return on Monday, we will have only seven days of Kindergarten remaining. I just know you will all do a great job next year in first grade."

I raised my hand.

"Yes, Chloe."

"Mrs. Potts, I'm not sure I really want to go to first grade. I don't want to leave you."

"Sweetheart, that is so sweet. I will miss you, too. But you all are growing up. You are ready."

I wasn't so sure about that.

Later at home, I told Momma about wanting to stay with Mrs. Potts. "Momma, first grade might be too hard. They probably don't go on many field trips. I bet the homework is hard and I'll have it every night. I just know they won't help me like Mrs. Potts has. What if my teacher is mean?"

"Honey, I know you'll do fine in first grade. Mrs. Potts has made sure you're ready. And I bet you'll have a teacher you love just as much as Mrs. Potts."

"But I can only count to one hundred twenty. Christian can count all the way to two hundred."

"Now Chloe, you have to understand that there will be others who will be better at some things than you. There will be things you excel in above others. Everyone is different. God made us unique with our own gifts and abilities. You just do your best."

I still wasn't convinced I wanted to move on to first grade. Is there not one thing I could do to stay in kindergarten?


*************

Have you ever been afraid to start something new? Explain.

Write a letter to Chloe. Explain why she shouldn't be afraid. Encourage her by giving reasons she can look forward to going to first grade.

Bootiful and Adorable

As soon as Daddy finished the prayer for our supper, I just had to share. "Did you know that Mrs. Potts is amazing at drawing? She is teaching us to draw all kinds of farm animals."

"That's sounds really neat." Daddy nodded.

"It is. We've drawn a turkey and a cow and a pig. Momma, my cow and pig are truly adorable."

"I can't wait to see them," Momma said.

"We have this big barn for them and everything. Mrs. Potts said that a lot of parents will frame the barn and animals and keep it forever. I just know you'll want to do that with mine. They're bootiful."

"I'm sure I will. I'm sentimental like that." Momma shrugged.

Daddy laughed. "Yes, you are." He looked at me. "Momma still has letters we wrote to each other when we were in school."

Pink spread across Momma's cheeks. "Guilty. I just can't part with those precious things."

"Are they love letters?" I giggled.

Momma's cheeks reddened and she chuckled. "I suppose you would say that's what they were. Not really good ones, but they were supposed to be love letters."

Daddy winked at Momma and she grinned.

"Aw, how romantical."

"Yep, romantical. That was me," Daddy said.

"Well, as romantical as a boy in middle school could be." Momma rolled her eyes.

I laid my hands over my heart and fluttered my lashes. "You two are almost as adorable as my cow and pig."

Daddy crossed his arms over his chest. "Well now, isn't that an honor!"

****************

What kind of projects have you done that you were especially proud of? What made you proud of those projects?

Why do you think Momma likes to keep things? Why would she call them precious things?

Tricking the Principal?

"Momma, you remember we went to Farm Day today, right?"

"Yes, Honey. How did you like it?"

I hopped onto a stool at the kitchen counter. "Oh, it was really good. Well, except ..."

Momma pushed a casserole into the oven and turned around. "Except what?"

"Milk comes from cows, right?"

"Yes, of course."

I shook my head. "Poor Dr. Hogan-Young was obviously being tricked." I folded my arms across my chest. "That just didn't seem very nice to me to do that to her."

"What happened?"

"They brought this scrawny animal up in front of everyone and told Dr. Hogan-Young to milk it. They called it a goat."

Momma giggled.

"You think that's funny, too, to trick her that way?"

"No, Dear. There are other animals that can be milked. A goat is one of them."

"You mean you can milk a chicken?"

"No, That's one that can't be."

"Wow, this farm stuff is more complicated than I thought." I brushed my hand across my forehead. "I felt sorry for the little sheeps too. They shaved all their fur off, and they looked naked! Kinda like Grandpa's head, with just a little itty bitty hair showing."

"They shear the sheep to use the wool for making yarn and clothes."

"That poor sheep could have used a sweater!"


*****************

Chloe thought Dr. Hogan-Young was being tricked, and she didn't like it, probably because she thought they were making fun of Dr. Hogan-Young. Has anyone ever tricked someone you know? Have you ever been tricked? Have you had to stand up for someone and not let them be made fun of? Explain.

Chloe found out that there's always new things to learn. What is something you have learned recently?