People always say, “out of the mouths of babes” but today I think I need to tweak that adage and say, “out of the mouth of my brazen husband“!  There is much to be done around this house but I have decided to eat up Natalie’s nap time…yes, that precious hour during the day when all is quiet and I can actually get something done around here….to write a new post.  There’s laundry and dishes to be done….more cleaning than I can shake a fist at, but since my husband decided to let me know what he really thinks of my last blog post, I felt that writing this needed to move to the top of the priority list.  So what did he say????  Well, funny you should ask.  I’d be happy to share that with you.  The conversation went something like this:

Corey:  Your last post was LAME; you better write a new one and post it as soon as possible!

Me:  (Mouth dropping to the floor)….WHAT???  What do you mean it is “lame”?

Corey:  Well, I read your stuff for the emotional element.  Your writings usually make me laugh or cry.  The post about the cashews and your weight…that didn’t’ make me laugh or cry.  It was stupid!

Me:  (Mouth still hanging open)….I understand that perhaps as a man you cannot appreciate weight struggles or being pregnant or a doctor looking you in the face and telling you to just eat more cashews and you’ll lose weight, but I know that there is a substantial part of my women readers that will be able to appreciate that story.  And I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but I do write to appeal to an audience greater than yourself!

Corey:  I guess…but it was still a lame post and you need to write something new!

Ok…that is when I just closed my mouth, rolled my eyes, and decided that no amount of talking was going to make him understand.  Regardless, he made me so self conscious that as I stated, I am going to use up Natalie’s nap time to write something “more emotional”.  Which brings me to the first day of school….

My children started school again yesterday.  It was a beautiful day as it always seems to be on the first day of school.  There wasn’t a cloud in the sky.  The temperature was neither too hot, nor too chilly.  The sun was shining brightly which made for a great “first day of school” picture.  The kids all promptly hopped right out of bed and were ready to go in no time.

They actually rode the bus TO school for the very first time yesterday.  Normally I drive them to school and they take the bus home, but this year we decided to ride the bus both ways.  So I took my traditional morning pictures, and then Natalie and I walked them down to the corner and waited for the bus to arrive.  Their stop is just 2 blocks down so we stayed at the corner of our block and waved to them while they waited on the corner of the next block.   If I wasn’t sad enough to see them off to school, watching Natalie was sure to put me over the edge.  She kept taking my hand and trying to pull me across the street to chase after them.  She kept waving her tiny little arm as fast as she could and was yelling, “Bye, love you” over and over again.  She was so confused as to why they were leaving without her, and she was so sad to see them go.  I have to admit…I felt the exact same way.

I mean, why do I need to say goodbye to my children every school year?  Why does it hurt so badly every year when I hand them over to some stranger who now gets to spend more time each day with my children than I do?  Something about that has always felt wrong to me, and I’m sure it always will.  After all, they are MY children.  I want to spend my days with them watching them learn, socialize, and grow in their faith.   While I may never understand why it hurts so much or is so difficult for me to let go, I have come to at least two realizations thus far regarding the school year:

1.  I now completely and utterly understand mothers who choose to home school their kids.  AND….

2.  I have such a deep admiration and respect for those “strangers” I hand my children over to each year.  Teachers take it upon themselves to be my eyes and ears during the day when I cannot be there. They nurture my children by educating them and help them grow as individuals by guiding them socially.  I am able to bring my concerns over an issue directly to them and they actually embrace these issues as if it were one of their own kids.  They work with me as a partner in raising my children and for that, I am eternally grateful.

Because even though my heart is breaking over losing this time with them, I do find comfort in knowing that they are in good hands with loving individuals.  Their teachers will care for them until 3:00pm when they gently pass the baton back to me….and I regain my rightful place by their sides once again until the next day.  We will run this relay race together…parents, teachers, and children for 9 long months all with the same goal in mind.

Together…we will raise a generation who will know how to respect authority, create change in times of necessity, honor the Lord, find compassion for those in need, and leave a positive imprint on our hearts as well as our world.

I guess I can ask for nothing more.