I’m going to answer this question by telling a funny story about my younger self.
At the age of four, I found myself staring at the prospect of half-day kindergarten, and I felt kind of down in the dumps about it.
Then I realized that after kindergarten comes first grade, and then meant spending a whole day at school! Eating lunch there, even!
And I looked further down the path of life and realized that first grade would be followed by years upon years of eating lunch at school and staying there all day.
And that would be followed by four years of college.
Which would be followed by a job.
And so, at the grand old age of four, I concluded that my golden years were behind me. Never again would I get to have the job of playing all day long, with no obligations or responsibilities.
In a sense, I was right. There is probably nothing quite as good as being four years old.
But I am happy to report that my life has not turned out to be as gloomy as I anticipated.
And I’m also happy to tell you that my mom started homeschooling us after my kindergarten year, which meant that I never DID have to eat lunch at school. 😉
“… weighed down by the pointlessness of life after preschool years.” You are hilarious!!! And that picture – priceless!
It’s such a good representation of how I felt at the time. Ha.
My mom says I was a crabby mess my kindergarten year. It’s one of the reasons she decided to give homeschooling a try; she thought I might be less exhausted!
Oh my goodnesss, 4 year old Kristen is adorable! I have a vivid memory of being in 1st grade and we had to draw a picture of what we wanted to be when we grew up. I drew a ballerina. I don’t know why. I never danced nor had a particular interest in taking lessons as a child. I may not have gotten them so just as well. Six year old me likely drew a ballerina because I thought it was what I was supposed to draw since I was a girl. While I am not a ballerina in adulthood, (snort), I do act & sing so I am in the arts. I longed for a dog & a horse too, neither of which I had in childhood, and I have both of those as well. I’ve never thought back to my childhood dreams to become disappointed in how my adult life has turned out. Actually, I am very very blessed. 🙂
Even as a small child, you were a deep thinker. 🙂
These prompts remind me of a game some kids at the school were playing yesterday. It was just a box with cards to be drawn that each had a question like these (“When is the last time you did something selfless?,” “How would you describe yourself to another person in five words?”). Some of them were a little deep for second graders, but their answers were hilarious. (To the second one, one little girl answered, “Pretty. Good hair. Dimples. Funny. Good at math.” I had to admire her confidence.)
Responding late to say this is about the funniest thing I’ve heard or read all day, in a poignant way! I couldn’t wait to do ALL of the things, but none measured up to my high expectations!