Back To School

Dearest Children, Preteens, Teenagers and Young Adults,

Soon, you will be heading back to school.  Some of you are excited about your very first day of preschool or kindergarten.  Others are beginning or finishing up high school.  Maybe you are heading off to college.  What you think might be your parents cheering as the bus pulls away, or as you walk away from our cars, is really us trying to put on a brave face and not let you see our tears as we watch you grow up.

Sending you off to school is a bittersweet milestone for us as your parents.  Whether you are homeschooled, public schooled, private schooled, or online schooled, we work towards helping you attain these goals of maturing and succeeding.  Our ultimate goal as your parents is to raise you up just to send you off.  At the same time, there are moments when we just want you to be that small, snuggly child who only wants to be held.  Just one more time.  Please, stop growing.

So, please, I ask you: When we want to walk you to the bus stop, or drive you to school that first morning, please let us.  If we want to take endless photos of you in your first day of school clothes, let us.  If we want to hug and kiss you as you leave the safety of our arms, please let us.  When we take you to meet your teachers and take the time to introduce ourselves, please be patient with us.  When we want to have a conversation with administrators and teachers, when we want to talk about classroom policies, subject content and learning materials, please be patient with us.  Please remember that we are turning you, our life's greatest treasures, over to these strangers, and they must pass muster.   If your parents insist on helping you, the mature, independent college freshman, unpack and decorate your room, if they insist on introducing themselves to everyone on your hall, and want to follow you around campus: please, let them. Yes, even when your mom has a video camera in her hand, and your dad has a camera in his.  We don't mean to embarrass you with any of our actions, we are merely excited for you.  We are expressing our love and excitement in the ways we know how.  This is one of the ways we are interested and involved in your lives.  We are your biggest champions and cheerleaders, and we have such a small amount of time with you before you head off into the world.  We love you, we have raised you to be this successful, mature, independent individual, and now you're off, just like that!

This is your time, and we want the chance to watch you shine.  So, please--let us.