The first day of kindergarten is one of the hardest days emotionally for parents. It’s not really so much about your child going to school for the first time, as it is starting the letting go process. It’s that milestone where you move on to the next phase of parenthood and your child becomes a kid, no matter how much you still see them as a baby. We parents all know that once our children get that little taste of independence they will crave more. It’s natural. It’s good but it hurts our mommy and daddy hearts.

Sending your kids off to school on the first day each year is always a bit emotional, but out of all of the educational milestones your little one hits -- watching your child go to kindergarten has to be one of the toughest days in any parent's life. (Sniffle.)

Because making the transition from that lovely little bit of heaven on earth known as preschool to full-blown "big kid" school is a pretty big leap to say the least. And before I sent my little dude to kindergarten last year, I thought I had it all figured out, and that the switch would be a piece of cake.

And I couldn't have been more naive or dead wrong.

Let's face it. Any time you have a group of kindergarteners together singing songs with their sweet little voices, it's bound to be an ovary flipper. But the teacher who decided his kindergarten class should dance around to Madonna's "Vogue" during their graduation ceremony wins the prize for most likely to make you awww this week.

I'll admit I was a little confused at first. Madonna? For 5-year-olds? I'm sure there are parents out there who wouldn't even let their kids watch the original "Vogue" video (ahem, remember the nipple scandal? Wait, am I showing my age here?). But the way these kids make your heart melt is a nice little reminder that kids can put a whole new -- and clean! -- spin on something that's been around for-evah! Check them out:

Until you are the parent of a kindergartner, you don't really "get" why parents get all weepy during the graduation ceremony for a bunch of 5-year-olds. There's just something about knowing they've done it, they've completed a whole year at "big kid school" that hits you right in the guts and turns on the waterworks. But the kindergarten graduation at one Florida elementary school just swiped the category for most emotional.

Ava Chand didn't just get a diploma that says she'll go on to the first grade next year. She got to see her daddy, US Army Staff Sergeant Zachary Chand, for the first time in more than a year. The soldier surprised his new graduate right in the middle of the ceremony by handing over the piece of paper. Take a look:

I love my 6-year-old's elementary school. The teachers are great, the parents are friendly, the parking is plentiful, and I almost always enjoy going there.

My 4-year-old's preschool, on the other hand? Well, the teachers are great, but the rest of it ... not so much. As much as I look forward to the brief kid-free breaks I get on preschool mornings, I've come to dread the dropoffs and pickups. Boy, especially the pickups.

Let me share my list of top preschool pickup pet peeves, and you can tell me—is it just me?

A 19-year-old named Bryce Harper just became the youngest Major League Baseball player in well over a decade to hit a homer. Too bad his baseball accomplishment is completely eclipsed by what a 6-year-old did on the diamond this month. Ross Bernath is only a kindergartner, and he's already made an unassisted triple play.

If you're not a sports fan, let me spell out what that means: one player makes three outs, all in one continuous play. Still not convinced that this Georgia 6-year-old is the coolest kid ever? This has happened 15 times in Major League Baseball history. That's over more than a century of professionals playing the game!

Five-year-old Emma Burton of Olathe, Kansas had a rough day at kindergarten recently. When her mom Julie picked her up that day, Emma's teacher was escorting the little girl from class, because Emma was in full meltdown mode. As the teacher approached Emma's mom, she angrily explained the situation:"Emma would not color this Jayhawk today with the rest of her class. She told me she does not like KU and her family likes K-State. She asked me for a K-State picture instead but I told her this was her only option. She took the paper, crumpled it up, and threw in the trash can."Julie Burton's reaction to Emma's willful disobedience in the face of her teacher's wrath? She laughed. Ah, a mom after my own heart.

I was in the craft store last week, pacing back and forth in front of the Valentine's Day displays and trying to make a decision. Was I going to help my kids produce a selection of lovingly hand-crafted Valentine's cards for their classmates, something perhaps inspired by a clever Pinterest design and featuring a custom font based on their actual handwriting? Or was I going to say fuck it, and buy the crappy pre-made pack of Spider-Man cards?The thing is, my kids don't care what kind of valentines they hand out. It's my theory that valentines, much like birthday invitations and party decorations and cake designs, are less about the kids—and more about impressing the other parents. You know what would have made the whole valentine card decision a lot easier? A parental pact, that's what. A legally binding agreement between all interested mothers that levels the playing field. WHO'S WITH ME?