Today was Chicky’s last day of school.
As I drove in to sub, I couldn’t help but compare it to her first day of kindergarten.
Parents were allowed to walk the kids in on that first day.
I remember looking at those tiny chairs and looking at Chicky, who was a tiny thing herself. She would be entering a room of total strangers, and I felt bad.
Would she make friends? Would she eat the lunch I packed? Would she be able to find her way to the bathroom?
I waited eagerly in the car loop line that afternoon, and when I saw my baby emerge from the school, I saw a huge smile on her face.
Her day had been wonderful.
Her second day was almost as traumatic (for me) as the first day. The school administrators cut the parents off cold-turkey, requiring us to drop off our children in the car loop.
Oy!
But, there were older students standing there, acting as monitors, assisting the younger ones as they tried to make their way to classes.
It was a huge lesson in trust, as I let her go…into the still-somewhat-unknown.
Thirteen years later, I stand poised to do the same again.
Contrary to what most people expect, I do not think I will cry. I did that already at the soccer banquet.
No.
This time, I will let her go a bit easier, knowing that she walked out of that school today as a confident young woman.
She knows that the most valuable friendships aren’t necessarily with the popular girls, who wound up treating her the worst during the last two years.
Most importantly, Chicky has a faith that most young people do not have at her tender age.
Her priorities seem to be in order.
It’s almost time to let my Chicky fly.
Filed under: children | Tagged: graduation, teenagers | 4 Comments »
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