Back to School...But Not for Us

So everyone is going back to school today. But not us. (Cue: Nah-nah-na-nah-nah.)

No, actually it always feels a little strange...like we're missing out somehow or like we're supposed to start. We start next Tuesday.

And, for one of our brood, that will be the last first day of schooling at home.

Kinda bittersweet, huh?

It's hard to think that we began all of this with Emily over 12 years ago. She stood in front of our rented house for a first-day-of-school photo and smiled her biggest grin. She wore a cute dress with a white knit top and pink-and-red gingham bottom -- a pink-and-red gingham strawberry appliqued in the center of the top. She had straight brown hair, neat bangs, and tanned skin. And she was so excited! (I'm still amazed the photo wasn't blurry.)

If I close my eyes I can still feel the warmth of that late-summer day, smell the hot macadam of the street, and hear the sounds of the city around us.

"Smile!" I say.

And she does, really really big.

Then hand-in-hand we head back into the house to start our journey of learning together.

Has it been easy? No way. As with most things in life it  has been filled to the brim with ups and downs, moments when we wanted to strangle each other, or hop on the nearest schoolbus (and that was me!).

Has it been worth it? Absolutely. Without a shadow of a doubt. I would do it again. Over and over. I learned so much with her, both educationally and personally.  

...

Sometimes this wing-spreading-letting-them-grow-and-go thing is harder than it looks.

How was your first day of school?