The Expressway: A Kindergarten Note to Olivia

I feel like I’m standing at the crossroads of a sweet, small old town and the expressway. I know that we have to get on that expressway to get anywhere, but I’m so nervous about it. Maybe I’m nervous about what’s ahead of us. What strangers will we meet along the way? What bumps in the road will we have to endure? What I’m really talking about here is getting on the expressway called Kindergarten.

I’m barely a week away and my anxiety is growing by the day. We’ve had the past five and half glorious years together. Yes, they have been filled with their own trials and tribulations, but they were ours. Now we are faced with a whole new world of trials coming up, trials that I have less control over. Maybe that’s where most of the anxiety stems from. So what do we do now?

Here are a few ideas that I have to help us both out as you set off on this new (never looking back) adventure.

1) Plan out our road trip, step by step. Let’s get on a schedule. Setting a routine for our days and nights will help us feel comforted in knowing what’s ahead.

2) Identify points of interest. What events and dates do we have to look forward to? Let’s mark them on the calendar and talk about them with great excitement for fun things to see and do ahead of us.

3) Know who to call for help. We will identify those who we can call upon if we are ever in need. Mommy is running late? You are feeling sick and need to go home early? I want you to know who to call, including backups. Here is a (albeit small) list of those you can depend on.

4) Don’t go too long without eating, or using the restroom. This can just lead to cranky, unfocused behavior that is no good for the road. Keep some snacks on hand and stop every now and then to take a restroom break, even if you are having a great time out on the road!

5) Make new friends along the way. We will meet a ton of new people on this new adventure. Who are your new friends? What are their names? What do they like to do? Tell me all about them because meeting new friends, especially in unfamiliar places is really quite fun!

6) Enjoy the ride. Let’s take it all in. Enjoy the scenery and the thrill of this new adventure. These are new places that we have never been before. Try to relax and know that you have a built in AAA with me and your dad. Road side assistance, any time, any place, so you might as well enjoy the open road. Test out your limits and put the pedal to the metal, kid. There’s no turning back now.

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