A final bittersweet goodbye.
My youngest kiddo started middle school last week.
For the first time in 11 years, I have no children in elementary school. I won’t be joining that daily kiss-n-go car line ever again. Goodbye, tiny tots with your bashful smiles and disheveled hair. Goodbye, soft-spoken, gentle school teachers with classrooms full of child-sized chairs. I already miss the daily waves of greeting from other parents and staff I’ve known for years.
Like in the video games my kids played all summer, I've leveled up in the parenting game.
I now have two middle-schoolers and one high-schooler, and it hits me that none of them are ‘little’ anymore. The once sweet, chubby faces of my three boys have thinned out and matured. Hairstyles have changed dramatically over the years, along with shoe size. Humor has gotten a lot more grown up and, dare I say, funnier? Height has shot up while voices have dropped. New school supplies include graphing calculators, laptop sleeves and way bigger backpacks.
This transition is a necessary change. I knew it was coming, and my focus has already shifted to upper grades and what lies ahead for my boys. But I’m sad to let go of the safe and nurturing environment of elementary school that I’ve enjoyed for so many years. I’ll miss the close-knit community and the familiar faces I’ve grown attached to there.
It feels like the end of childhood, and in a way, I suppose it is. My 6th grader is ready for it, eager even to tackle it head-on and catch up to his older brothers. And he’s well-prepared. His school made sure of that.
Still, it seems weird to drive past the elementary campus now instead of to it. Sometimes I comment about it to the kids as we drive by or share a random story that pops into my head about the boys’ time there.
I can’t help but cast a wistful glance as I pass, feeling grateful for both where we're headed and where we've been. This place was an important stop in our life journey. We all learned a lot from it and made so many friends along the way.
And now it’s time to move on to the next phase.
Goodbye, elementary.
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