End of Summer Sadness

With every new school year, there is the twinge of excitement of sending kids back to school and recouping some personal time. At least for most parents. This is not true if you are a parent, and a teacher. Labor Day marks the end of summer, my end of "freedom" from the tyrannical rule of lesson plans and construction paper paper cuts. (I swear it's more serrated than typical paper) It also marks the end of peaceful family time. When Xavier and I might make a few day trips to go kayaking or visiting museums or just sit and do nothing on the beach.

However, the benefits of sending the Xavier off to school far outweigh the price. Yes, our time together is drastically cut. Yes, he's going to be especially clingy and not want to sleep. Yes, I'm going to hate making the choice between reading to him and giving him a bath before he needs to go to bed because we only have 2 hours together in the evening in which to cram dinner and playtime and ___________. Yes, it's difficult seeing him off every morning. Yes, it's going to be really hard when he is 5, for real - not him just telling people he's 5, and finally in Kindergarten.


It's simply bittersweet.


However, his hugs carry more weight. His kisses stay with me all day. His smile when I pick him up at the end of the day lights up my soul. Especially when it's attached to a hug that is strong enough to knock me off my feet. I even appreciate his lion kisses. (Thanks again to my lovely brother who defined a lion kiss as a lick on the face... really nice.) His big presence through small gestures isn't lost on me, even after a day with 30 6 year olds.

So, the school year begins and summer fades into fall.