Saturday, August 29, 2009

The End Of Summer or Time To Give My Child Back To School

This time of year is always difficult for me. Why? Because I like my child. I enjoy having her around the house all summer. There is no rushing or insanity, we just get to hang together. And now I have to give her back to school in a little over a week. I start to get weepy when I think about giving her back, which is goofy because my daughter goes to the best school on the planet. They nurture her and love her for the caustic witted, tutu wearing, unconformist that she is. She's funny, she's creative, she's smart, she's interesting and she's relaxing to be around. (Of course there is cranky, snotty and stubborn too, but I honestly don't see those very often.) These amazing qualities continue to grow as she does. At 12 years I'm beginning to get glimpses of who she is growing into. It's exciting and wonderful, but at the same time my baby is quickly disappearing into a memory. Each summer it becomes more obvious that college is around the corner and each summer becomes more precious and harder to give up.

Our end of summer ritual, since my princess was 4 months old, is to spend a day together at the Minnesota State Fair. We never fail to start the day with crepes for breakfast and end the day with a bag of caramel corn in the Coliseum watching the horses.

4 comments:

Patricia said...

what a beautiful post. It is such a bittersweet thing to realize we've done such a good job raising them that they are getting ready to try their wings. I am the Mom of 4 wonderful adults that I am very proud of, but every once in a while I see the babies I held in my arms and still miss those days once in a while. You're doing it right, savor every minute.
Hugs,,
Pat
Patricia Rose-A Potpourri of Fabric, Fragrance and Findings
www.patriciarose-apotpourri.com
www.patriciarose-apotpourriof.blogspot.com

pickleberries said...

Thank you Pat. Now I'm teary again!

Janine - Foxtail Creek Studio said...

Thanks for sharing your view on the whole back-to-school thing. I feel the same way! When I hear other parents talking about being so thankful that school has started (meaning the kids are out of the house) I just sit quietly and say nothing... because I enjoy my kid too! He's 13 and also a nonconformist like your daughter :) Long haired rocker, plays guitar and drums (self-taught) and he's such a good kid! I really enjoy his company and we have a lot of laughs together. So when it's time to go back to school, I dread it more every year. I completely understand where you're coming from!
Hugs,
~Janine~

pickleberries said...

Thank you Janine! It's nice to know that there are some kindred spirits out there. Hugs to you too. :)