Summer Withdrawal: Back to School Blues

If you would have asked me this weekend if I was excited and ready for the start of school and my daughter's return to routine and not being at home anymore, my immediate answer would have been a resounding, Heck Ya! But it seems now that we're back into our usual ways, that I miss the summer and having the kids to do stuff with every day. Believe it or not, your day tends to fly by when you're out and about with a preschooler and a school aged child, riding all over the city to this beach or that park. As much as I was out of energy by then end of August, it was fun, and I will cherish all the memories we made.

That's not to say I won't still be running all over the place. September doesn't just bring the start of school, but also the start of all the extracurricular activities. In just a couple weeks we'll be riding to and from school, to ballet, tap, soccer, swimming and whatever other lessons will fill my kids' days. Being so busy does make me wonder how working parents do it, and makes me very thankful that I am afforded the opportunity to be home for my kids.

But for today, I will take Coralie to school for her first full day of Grade 1. Today, she meets her new teacher; she says she hopes for a specific teacher because she has a good name. She will also and find out which of her friends from Kindergarten will stay with her as she heads to her new class, and which will be those she sees on the playground in between class. I look at her now and see how much she has changed in 12 months, from a nervous little Kindergartner to a confident Grade 1, and I'm a little bit emotional. Once again, she is off learning and growing without me. Add to that the fact that I'm about to head out of town on business for 4.5 days, missing many of the new school year challenges that may come up, and I get a little teary. I guess we're both on a bit of a journey this week, and all I hope for her is that her journey leads her to much success in the future. For now, I just wish her a happy first full day!

Coralie on the first day of Kindergarten

One year later and she's grown so much!