Once upon a time there was a little boy named Jack who was about to climb the beanstalk for his very first time. He had a fresh haircut and a brand -new book bag, all set for this new adventure!

      Even though his friends in the neighborhood had climbed this same beanstalk almost every day last year, this was Jack's first day, and he was a little nervous. So were his parents, especially his mother.

     Early in the morning she brought him to the foot of the beanstalk. She talked encouragingly to Jack about all the fun he would have that day and how nice his giant would be. She reassured him that she would be back to pick him up at the end of the day. For a moment they stood together,silently holding hands, gazing up at the beanstalk.

     To Jack, it seemed much bigger than it had when his mother had pointed it out on the way to the store last week. His mother thought it looked big, too. She swallowed. Maybe she should have held Jack out a year...

     Jack's father straightened his shirt one last time, patted his shoulder and smiled down at him. He promised to stay and wave while he started climbing. Jack didn't say a word.

   He walked forward, grabbed a low-growing stem and slowly pulled himself up the the first leaf. He balanced there for a moment and then climbed more eagerly to the second leaf, then to the third and soon he had vanished into a high tangle of leaves and stems with never a backward glance at his mother or father.

      Jack's parents stood there, together, at the bottom of the beanstalk, gazing up at the spot where Jack had disappeared. There was no rustle, no movement, no sound to indicate that he was anywhere inside.

     "Sometimes, " Mom said, "it's harder to be the one who waves good bye than it is to be the one who climbs the beanstalk." Dad agreed. They wondered how Jack would do. Would he miss them? How would he behave? Did his giant understand that little boys sometimes act silly when they feel unsure?

      Mom fought down an urge to spring up the stalk after Jack and maybe duck behind a bean to take a peek at how he was doing. Dad knew Jack was really old enough to handle this on his own. He reminded himself that, after all this was thought to be an excellent beanstalk and that everyone said his giant would be kind , patient, and understanding.

     "It's not so much that I'm worried about him," Mom said, rubbing the back of her neck. "It's just that he's growing up and we're going to miss him." Jack's dad took Jack's mom by the hand as they started to leave. "Jack is going to have lots of bigger beanstalks to climb in his life, " said Dad. "Today's the day he starts practicing for them... And today's the day we start practicing something too:   cheering him on and waving good-bye."

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