The circle of life
5.5.09
Last night I volunteered at Claire’s school during the event when the eighth-graders go to an orientation before they start as freshmen next year. I didn’t know many parents, but the few I did know made me think about how we’re all in different phases of parenthood — sort of a circle-of-life kind of a thing.
One woman has a son who’s a junior, and because he’s her only child, next year will be a bittersweet one. They’ll probably wrangle a little (or a lot) over college applications (don’t we all?), and then he’ll be gone.
Another has a daughter who’s also a junior, and her younger child will be a freshman next year. She’ll have the pleasant experience, as I did, of having both of her children in the same school again, if only for one year.
Another mom has one son who’s a college freshman here at the UW, a daughter who’s a sophomore in high school, and a daughter who will enter high school next year. She, too, will have the nice experience of having her two youngest in the same school again, but I bet she’ll still mourn her son in college, and mourn the loss of the elementary and middle schools that her girls will have left behind forever.
The last mom has one son who’s a junior in college in New York City, a second son who’s a college freshman in Chicago, and her youngest will begin high school next year. This year she’s been able to take a breather from high school, but she’ll be back among us again next year.
We’re all going through our individual journeys alone, but yet not alone.
One woman has a son who’s a junior, and because he’s her only child, next year will be a bittersweet one. They’ll probably wrangle a little (or a lot) over college applications (don’t we all?), and then he’ll be gone.
Another has a daughter who’s also a junior, and her younger child will be a freshman next year. She’ll have the pleasant experience, as I did, of having both of her children in the same school again, if only for one year.
Another mom has one son who’s a college freshman here at the UW, a daughter who’s a sophomore in high school, and a daughter who will enter high school next year. She, too, will have the nice experience of having her two youngest in the same school again, but I bet she’ll still mourn her son in college, and mourn the loss of the elementary and middle schools that her girls will have left behind forever.
The last mom has one son who’s a junior in college in New York City, a second son who’s a college freshman in Chicago, and her youngest will begin high school next year. This year she’s been able to take a breather from high school, but she’ll be back among us again next year.
We’re all going through our individual journeys alone, but yet not alone.
