We knew the first school bus ride in kindergarten was big. The first journey through the cafeteria line. The first field trip, music concert, class presentation.

But being assigned your first locker in school, we have learned, also is very, very big.

As our daughter ventures off to middle school this week –and, no, I am not sobbing as I write this (not yet, anyway) – we are content knowing that every pen, pencil, folder, tissue box and three-ring binder is stacked, piled or otherwise stashed behind the door of a tall, skinny locker –protected by a pink Master Lock.

I don’t remember much about my school lockers, although I am certain my lock was not pink.

But her lock is pink. So is the magnetic mirror that hangs inside the locker door. The trim of her dry-erase board also is pink, as are several other locker accessories.

And there are magnets! Lots of little magnets she has collected the last few weeks.

Some have flowers on them, others swirly designs. A few look like mini-clothespins but in fun colors. (Yes, including pink!)

Magnetic, you may have noticed, is the key word here. There is no taping or gluing in Locker Land.

This locker will be her mini-room in the months to come. Her own space. The place she zips to between classes to get what she needs and deposit what she doesn’t.

While back-to-school shopping, I was somewhat surprised at all the products available for lockers. Bins, pencil caddies, small dry-erase and bulletin boards, picture frames, tiny stuffed animals, hooks, clips and more –all magnetized.

There were many decisions to be made about organizing her locker as well as “personalizing” it, as our daughter chose to do.

One locker shelf or two? Hanging or stacking? Wire mesh or plastic? Pink or green?

As for the much-recommended extra shelving, we settled for a Locker Ladder. (Don’t worry; I never heard of it either until a few weeks ago.)

This canvas hanging shelf has brackets that slip over the existing metal shelf at the top of the locker and features three vertical compartments for books, folders, etc., freeing up the bottom of the locker.

Just to be safe, she placed an additional wire mesh shelf at the locker bottom – creating more storage opportunities.

We bought a “lock set” earlier this summer. It’s called a set because it has two locks with the same combination – one of which will go onto her gym locker.

As recommended by others, our daughter practiced working the combination so she would not be fumbling the first few days of school.

She mastered it quickly, thankfully, so I don’t have to add that to my “New Things to Worry About” list.

There still is talk about adding a little magnetic stuffed animal or two to the inside of the locker door, but for now I believe she is all set.

And me?

I’m excited about this middle school adventure. I truly am. Elementary school was so last year. Time to move on, new locker and all.