Goodbye, Goodbye

Goodbye, goodbye!

It's time to go.

Goodbye, goodbye.

I don't wanna go!

This is how our goodbye song starts, and I think this was the first day I agreed with the last line.  We sang it every day before going out to the buses.  My kids sang it to me for the last time today at school. I couldn't sing with them, of course, because I was too busy trying to not cry more than necessary. These are my kids. They're the only ones I've got, and I love them.  We had such a great year together.  Not every day was perfect by any means, but boy we had fun.  I made a point to just enjoy our last day together.  We worked for the first hour and a half, but then we watched Toy Story.  During the credits it played "You've Got A Friend in Me."  I told them to listen to the words, and everyone was silent.  Their smiles turned downwards, though, probably mostly from seeing their teacher sad, so after that song we livened it up a bit.  I played their favorite "dance party" song and let them sing and dance as loud as they wanted to "Alabama, Mississippi " (while eating popsicles--what more could a first grader ask for?)  It's a silly, pointless song, but for some reason they love it.  I wish I could post the picture I took of them dancing.  It was so cute.  We boogied for a couple more songs and then lined up to leave and they sang the goodbye song for me.  They all gave me a hug--a few with tears in their eyes, and all of them telling me they'd miss me and that they loved me.  That just made me less able to speak, so I just hugged tighter.  They know I love them.

You know what always made my day, even though it's a completely normal, simple mistake kids make?  When they call me "mom" and even "grandma."  What a compliment.  I miss them already.