Dear Upcoming School Year

The close of summer break is always a mixed bag for me that gets pretty heavy with glum. I know my children need structure and routine, but I love late breakfasts, even later bedtimes, and the go-with-the-flow feels of June and July. However, school is starting no matter my opinion and with it will bring great things. Opportunities to learn, grow, and make more friends are waiting in the school hallways. 

I have so many hopes for my children, but with the first day of school, I just hope they make it through the day happy and ready to come home and tell me all about it.

Dear 6th grader: 

Welcome to middle school my oldest! Embrace becoming a big kid, but please do not lose your sweet and innocent spirit. It is okay to check the drama at the door and avoid it at all costs. 

Remember to be you, but please also remember to use a napkin at lunch and wear a jacket if it is cold at recess. Try to be a good listener, but also be an advocate for yourself. Stay smart and feel good about it. Intelligent is the new cool, and while I would never consider you to be nerdy it is okay to embrace the STEM part of your educational journey. The engineering mind in you wants to bust out, so let it shine!

Help me help you. Keep talking to me and I promise to get better at listening to you. I am a work in progress, but one of my biggest mom goals is to never make you feel like you have to hide stuff from me. I had two brothers and gave birth to four children, there is really nothing that can shock me at this point in my life. Please do not read that as a challenge, I am just letting you know that I am here. Always and Forever.

From, Your mom.

Dear 3rd grader:

Congrats on being the top dog in elementary and thanks for being a role model for your brother as he starts the big world of kindergarten. I know I take you for granted because you are so easy and mindful, but never doubt that I see you and your great personality. 

Keep playing knock-out basketball with the boys and making slime with the girls. Keep being a teacher’s helper and a great teammate. Never quit painting your toenails with your sister.  Above all else, do not stop being you and your competitive self. I wish I had half of your drive and spirit because it is equal parts fascinating and exhausting.

I would be remiss if I did not give you a gentle reminder that you do have to share the bathroom space in the morning. There are only so many precious minutes between breakfast and the bus stop, so you need to be considerate. I know it will take August and most of September to get this sharing of time coordinated. Keep in mind that if you try, then your siblings will try, and everyone will be happier. I will probably also yell less about rushing, so there is that too.

I love you, my incredible middle child. 

From, Your mom.

Dear Kindergartner,

It is not fair that I have to share you with the public school system, but I know you are beyond ready. And face it, there is no part of me that is up to the task of homeschooling. I will miss you so much. You made me a boy mom and constantly keep me moving. My weekday life will be a lot quieter and nowhere near as fun.

Be a leader, but please take direction. Make friends, but please give people space. Have fun, but absolutely no climbing on top of desks or starting water fights at the fountain. Never forget to smile and laugh, because your adorable grin has the power to melt hearts and probably get you out of a principal visit or two.

Let others, authority figures in particular, see your sweet side. We all know you are smart and athletic, but go the distance to prove you are kind and emphatic. Do not be mad if chapter book reading and long division are not mastered in the first week. You hang out with your big sisters too much and have a tendency to think learned behavior can happen in an instant. 

I am thrilled you are excited to go to “big kid school”, but feel free to always be my little boy.

From, your mom.

Dear Toddler,

Thank you, thank you, thank you for coming along. Maybe I will be ready to have all of my kids in school in a few years, but right now I am extremely glad to have a little one at home. Now, who is ready to tackle potty training and little tots gymnastics? Anyone, anyone?

From, your mom.

As a mother, I get bitter that another summer has gone by too quickly, yet I look forward to the next chapter for my kids because this whole parenthood thing is anything but dull.

Who else is ready for the upcoming school year? Tessa is ready, click here if you missed her post from earlier in the week.