It’s always been a little bit emotional when one of your children completes their last year of elementary school. Middle School starts a new chapter in their lives. They suddenly seem so grown up. But what happens when your youngest only has a few months left in elementary school? You start feeling panicky. You realize you should have done more. You should have ate more of the crappy school lunches. You should have taken more days off work and gone on more field trips. You should have spent more time volunteering. Mommy guilt hits you hard!
Then you look at what you did do: as a single parent, I worked hard to ensure they could all go on all those expensive field trips and I could buy all those fundraiser items so they could get the “dollar store” prizes. I learned the new math and when it got above my level of abilities, I learned to ask for help. Thank God my oldest daughter married a math genius and my second oldest daughter is a math guru, too! I stayed up late making and finishing projects. I made late night Wal-Mart runs for a dress-up day outfit that they told me about at bedtime. I made sure they got to do all the extra stuff at school even when I had to be out of town for work.
Then there’s the things I missed: watching her win a trophy at a math tournament, watching her cross the finish line ahead of everyone else at her first practice 5k, eating Thanksgiving dinner at school, and so much more. I am extremely fortunate my dad was able to attend a lot in my place. And extremely thankful for other parents and teachers that treated my child as one of their own.
So, these last few weeks of 5th grade are tough on all of us. Last week, we went to our last elementary school choir show. Soon we will have our last elementary school field day. The last elementary school AR party. Then there’s the 5th grade awards ceremony. The last day of school will be tears for many. The last DeFelice girl will walk out of Hahira Elementary School, and a special time in our lives will come to an end.
Life’s a book. And we have to turn the page to start the next chapter. We have to move forward to keep the story going. None of us know exactly how the book ends. We wish we had read some chapters slower and had lingered on the journey. But you can’t stop the adventure. Tomorrow is coming whether we are ready for it or not. Elementary School is a chapter that is coming to an end in our family. The Middle School story will continue to develop. And 3 years from now I’ll be dreading the day my youngest finishes that chapter in our lives. The book will keep growing!
While I dread May 24th, I also celebrate with my girl and all her friends as they “graduate” to the next stage of their school career. We are fortunate to live in a small town, so the teachers that have become so special to our family…we still get to run into them at The Dollar General and The Huddle House. And through social media they still get to watch the DeFelice girls go! And go they will!
As the mother of 5, I really thought watching my only son start kindergarten was rough. I remember his first day, holding his hand, walking up the driveway to the school, and the look of excitement in his face while I fought tears behind a big smile. I was wrong at the time. It was hard, but it wasn’t that bad. Watching my youngest start kindergarten in August 2013 was heart wrenching. I knew this was going to be it. And now, six years later, I’m learning the real meaning of rough. To feel pride and regret at the same time is just painful. 2019 will be the year we can check elementary school off everyone’s bucket list. All five will have that finished that chapter.
For all the other mamas out there celebrating the end of this era, keep smiling through the tears. Keep up the hard work and don’t let regret take away from all the pride in knowing your babies “did it!” And if you feel like I do, knowing they have had amazing elementary school teachers that have prepared them for the next chapter, take a breathe and brace yourself for middle school! According to my current 7th grader, the next chapter is even better! Turn the page, and let’s go!
