For the first time in 25 years, this is my back to school picture.
In the first years, gap-toothed kids beamed with excitement, and for the last few years, grudging teenagers have paused and given a "c'mon Mom, hurry up" smile at the front door. But this year, no one was rushing off wearing carefully chosen first day of school clothes.
WARNING!!!
This child will grow up if you are lucky,
and then will leave you if you are lucky,
and still, you will probably cry about it
There are some things I definitely will not miss about having children in school:
- the hassle of packing nutritious lunches with sandwiches carved into swans nestled in tissue paper and baby carrots wearing little hats made of olives - along with inspirational quotes hand lettered on papyrus
- Daily coordination and encouraging communication with teachers to make sure that my child is getting the best education possible
- Constructing homemade backpacks out of environmentally friendly handwoven linen
- Latin lessons around the kitchen table
(Okay, so I never did any of that,
except maybe the occasional olive hat on a baby carrot)
Today, I am feeling lucky but not sad
Because the last one is still here until
she's off to college in September.
Posts
13 comments:
that empty front door made me sad. what I will not miss though if the day ever comes, is the dioramas, the spelling lists and anything that they have to make on a poster board.
Isn't that the truth. You cry and whine and complain and lose your social life while trying to raise these cast-off's from heaven and then it's all over with in a 'minute' and you sit down and cry because they aren't there anymore. And it doesn't go away. Until grandkids come and then the fun starts again.
I don't miss those back to school days but I do miss the back to school kids coming home in the afternoon.
I can see this coming. Yeah, Evie had her first day of preschool today, but still . . . it's coming.
What a beauty she is! Good luck to your baby going off to college. :)
YOur daughter is gorgeous! I have one left at home. It is so weird for me. I see the empty nest looming on the horizon. I think it holds both good and sad (not bad). I guess we have to enjoy all the seasons!
That was my door back in 2005, and I didn't realise the significance of the last day of school in '04 until it was too late. I'd have made a big deal out of it and bothered my daughter (that would be She of the Overdue Baby) no end!!
Good to see you back. For a moment, when I read the list of things you did for your children's school days I thought 'Yes! A Kindred Spirit - one who knows the worth of hand crafted backpacks and one-of-a-kind nutritious lunches!
There you are!! Thought we all dropped off the face of the Earth, alas, it was only Jo and I. My babies are all gone and none of them want to make me any new babies. What's an old woman to do? I now understand why old women need cats.
Honestly when my empty door came and Nate left for college I felt like I would die. Then he left straight from Sky Harbor for Brazil a year later and I truly did collapse.
This year I am loving every Instagram back to school picture of my grandchildren and I am a happy camper.
Thanks for another blog post - missed you!
I remember the first time my back to school picture looked like this one. It was a pretty strange feeling.
But you know what? I think I've gotten used to it!
;)
That picture quacks me up.
Time seems to go so fast. Well, it didn't seem to when my children were really little, but now my oldest is a senior in high school and I cannot believe it! There are things that I will not miss, but it is hard to think about the time when all 3 of mine will leave me. :(
My mom also said time went by so fast.
Your daughter is pretty. :-)
Post a Comment