First steps, first words, first day. The life of a child is full of firsts, but nothing is like the experience of walking into the first day of kindergarten. I followed my own kids into Wolfle Elementary, and then went to another kindergarten class to see what was happening.

I saw lots of hugs, cameras and some alligator tears, both from kids and the parents. A few parents were giving high-fives on the way out though – but what was most striking were the looks of independence I saw in some of the new school kids.

The particular kindergarten class I ventured into had neat rows of cubbies for students to park their jackets, coats and other items.

One boy in particular was straining to reach his hook, which he found by looking for the first letter of his name – and when he did, he turned to the teacher, or anyone that would look, and proudly gave a look of accomplishment. Next, he turned to face the expanse of open classroom ahead. He then turned to the door looking for mom or some familiar face.

It lasted only a moment, but he spotted a playmate and instantly found comfort in the new first step of leaving behind preschool and becoming a ‘school-ager’ kid. Which is, according to my kindergartener, probably the coolest thing to be.

Being somewhat of an optimist and philosophical-type person caused me to think about how these first steps fit into our lives as adults.

As we grow up, the list of firsts will grow and making the scary transition to kindergarten will be a faded memory replaced by the first crush, first test, first car and first gear grind. Those firsts may seem far off today, but wasn’t it just yesterday when you brought that kindergartener home from the hospital bundled in blanket?

The kids will come home most days and eagerly tell parents about the new and expanding experiences encountered during the day. Some sound familiar to me as I recall some of my grade-school years. The hardest part is not being the main source for ‘why’ questions anymore – that has been replaced by lots of ‘did you know’ statements. This is a first for our family and many others for sure.

The view from 36 inches is the top shelf for kindergarteners. I think I may join mine a few more times a day at his level and experience what they are seeing before they are looking down my nose and asking for the car keys.

Brad Camp is a staff photographer for the Kitsap News Group, which includes the Kingston Community News. He also maintains a Kingston-based portrait photo studio and wedding business.