Everyone tells you it goes fast, but nothing actually prepares you

Everyone tells you it goes fast, but nothing actually prepares you. This post won’t prepare you. The first day he walks into high school won’t prepare you. When you click on the accept button for college– definitely. Not. Prepared. 

Truth be told, it’s all a bit surreal. Thirteen years of school are in the homestretch- he’s made it. You made it. The endless mornings of waking him up as a kid, making breakfast, scooting him off to the bus. The long conversations talking about friends, sports, teachers, coaches, grades and girls rattle through your mind, as everything feels like a first and a last all at the same time. 

I have been a high school educator since 2000. I have seen countless students head off to college, but even that did not prepare me for when it was my own son going through the motions. Last week, my oldest, Charlie, committed to his top choice. His face beamed. A wave of relief fell over me as I now knew where he would actually be living come August. 

Most importantly, his joy was palpable, and as a parent- that is all we can ask for, right?

Over the next six months, it will be a series of lasts. However, it will also be a series of firsts, and as his two younger brothers look on, I can tell that they, too, share in the excitement. Mom’s endless tirade of “bring your grades up,” “clean your rooms up,” “look up- there’s a bright side” – in some strange form or fashion, it all starts to click. The hard work can and does pay off. 

As I watch my senior start his own path, I am reminded that, as parents, our job is never quite over as we watch their lasts transition to firsts. In the meantime, take a breath, you deserve it. That letter, while addressed to your child, is written to the whole family. It truly takes a village. Ready or not…here he goes.