My two eldest, Brittany 16 and Dyllan 14 are headed to high school, Dyllan for the first time. They were informed last year that they were in pre AP classes and had assignments that needed to be finished the first day of school. My advice was that although it's summer they should set aside at least one hour a day until their projects were completed so they wouldn't feel rushed or leave it to the last minute. I also reminded them of this advice for the last two months. As a Mom it is hard to let it go. When you know they need to work on something but you also know they need to be responsible for it at this age, not you, and they need to accept the consequences of their choices good or bad. I cringe when I think about the things I know they need to do and put off or don't. But then I remind myself it's their life, let them handle it. I have offered to help out, words of encouragement and believe me with some subjects words of encouragement are lost because of their lack of confidence in themselves. Very teenager of them. I remember that feeling, I'm not sure it ever leaves lol.
I'm always so excited to see what my kids do next with their lives. How they adjust to new things, watching them discover new ideas and ways of choosing what comes next. It's awesome! Brittany has always been fearless when it comes to new things. She either wants to do it or she doesn't, she either agrees with you or not, I like that there is little to no grey area with her. Blunt, honest, to the point, you always know where you stand with her. Although she works hard on biting her tongue a lot too so as to not have to argue when she doesn't see the point in it or doesn't want to make someone cry lol that one's my favorite. Dyllan is always so skeptical about everything, reminds me of his Dad Nate completely and totally. Even when he gets all of the information that he needs to make an informed decision, sometimes it takes a loooooooot of encouraging and reassuring to get him to move his feet forward and get there. But once he does, it's like a firework all lit up brilliant in color and life! That's my favorite. Catie is four so everything is new and a wonder to her I just love observing her and watching her reactions to basically everything. Even if she gets mad she's adorable. She's just so dang smart for her age! You have to have an argument with her sometime. She'll find a way to use your logic against you and convince you that she's right. She's four! We are in for a world of trouble with this one I'm sure, but still, I'm excited to see what she does next. Watching her argue her way out of just about anything or being a chatterbox to everyone about everything is my favorite.
Life is grand, albeit hard and complicated. So many of us always in a rush to do as much as possible is as little amount of time. It's nice to slow down, enjoy the atmosphere, smile, take your time make important choices when you can. It's better to remember to experience it , take it in, than to rush through and just be present what a waste. Summer reminds us to stop and look around. Smell the roses, visit the beach and listen to the waves, take family vacations singing loudly in a crowded vehicle driving 2000 miles to your destination. Those moments are when I get to know my family best. How they've grown, how they've changed. Even just the silent cuddles on a porch swing or a weeny roast in the backyard, catching fireflies, listening to frogs sing. It's nice. We will have to work on making these things an every day occurrence as often as possible.
I look forward to a new school year. Forward to the chaos and the challenges, hopefully we overcome them in good standing, frustration and all. But, as Ferris Bueller says, "Life moves pretty fast, if you stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
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