It is that time of year again: the beginning of school. For most parents, it cannot come soon enough. For most kids, it comes much too quickly. I meet this year with mixed emotions.
My oldest is now a junior: the year that truly begins the process of defining the rest of his life. In addition to his high school schedule, he will also begin his first college class.
My daughter begins 6th grade: her last year of elementary school. I love that she is able to spend one more year before entering the throes of middle school, but one year does not feel like nearly long enough to keep her somewhat safe and protected from the world of bigger kids.
My youngest is entering 3rd grade: his last year of primary school. We know and adore his teacher and he greets the year with enthusiasm and apprehension. Many of his quirks that have gone mostly unnoticed in the past are becoming more apparent to his peers as they get older.
When the kids were younger, preparing for the first day of school involved an assortment of pencils, crayons, notebooks and folders. As the kids get older, it seems the tools they need to start the year are things that cannot be purchased at Target or Staples: rather they are tools we must do our best to help them define and learn. As with so many parenting challenges, I often feel ill-equipped to provide viable parenting advice that will actually help them solve their own problems. There is a huge part of me that struggles with my inability to protect and defend them while resisting the driving force inside me that really wants to punch some of the snippy little buggers who are unkind to my cubs in their not so cute because they are no longer 4 years old noses!
Knowing that the best preparation I can give my little, and not so little, ones is to help them trust themselves and believe they are capable of handling anything life throws at them does not always fill me with confidence. That said, as I look at the amazing individuals they are becoming, I realize that we must be doing something right...and when they feel like the world is spinning out of control, they trust themselves and us enough to ask for help...perhaps we are giving them more of the right tools that we realize.
Happy back to school...it's going to be quite a year!
