Today is day one of a new school year. I have to be honest, aside from the part about releasing my children to a system that 1) drills them with knowledge all day and then gives them more work to complete after school because, I don’t know, that’s ‘just the way we’ve always done things’ (even though the jury is out on whether homework actually helps students ‘learn’), and 2) releasing them to a system that prepares them for the ‘next’ system that they’ll eventually become a part of where they’ll sell their time in exchange for money to pay for the debt they’ll accumulate because they don’t come from wealth and of course they’ll want their slice of the ‘American Dream’ that sell on television commercials – another part of me is terrified to let my babies out of my sight for eight hours in light of recent (seemingly annual) events surrounding unstable people who have access to weapons. Some days I really resent my imagination. Today is one of them. I’ll eventually settle down, but I’ll spend this day flying from school to school in my mind to watch over them.
Yes, today is a big day. An important and exciting day. And, despite my apprehension, there’s something absolutely beautiful about watching your children grow – about the prospect of a full life ahead of them. Today is another step in that direction. A step away.
And no, I don’t care whether anyone likes this post. Sharing sometimes means the not-so-pretty stuff that swirls around the heart too. Despite what you might think, I feel incredibly blessed. Except for the part about the imagination. Some days.
Harley
Aug 26, 2013
Co-dropped off 4-year-olds at 1st day of Kinder-Prep today. I imagine this will get exponentially harder every year. And I share your curse of imagination, so that doesn’t help things. But overall, “blessed” is the best word to describe this whole kids thing. They are amazing gifts and bring us joy every single day.