The Kindy Christmas Concert

Last night marked the end of an era. My son's kindergarten group had its Christmas concert. I sat amongst all the other parents and watched the faces of our children. Happy cheeky faces that were round and dimpled at the start of the year and have become leaner as the months have passed. No longer pre-schoolers, they'll all be starting school next year. They sang their favourite songs for us, complete with arm actions. Some of them forgot the words and laughed; other didn't sing but kept up with the actions. My son was in the back row. Shyness is not in his vocabulary. He sang loudly and proudly. They sang us Christmas songs. We laughed and cheered, and quietly, in our hearts, said good-bye to our babies and hello to our big kids.

The kindy teachers had prepared a portfolio of the year's activities for each child. I flipped the pages and read about my son's growth. I looked at the photos of him painting, playing with clay, riding scooters; at how he learned to write his name. I'm not one of those parents who are sad about their kids starting school. I'm happy and excited for him. But this portfolio moved me and brought tears to my eyes. My big boy.

Santa came and handed out presents and then we went outside to enjoy the food we had brought along with us. I chatted to mums and dads I had become friendly with over the year, knowing that there are many I may not see again. We're a diverse bunch; Muslim, Hindi, Anglo, Tongan, Vietnamese and so on. A good reflection of the community we are living in and a fabulous example of how many cultures can come together without conflict. The friendships the kids have made make me hopeful for the future. The noise of the kids running about was loud and spirited. Eventually as it become colder and the light began to fade, we gathered our kids up and began to leave. Next week is the last week of kindergartern. The adventure for our kids is about to begin.