Gradually Graduating

This year seems to be the year of graduations. Serena just completed her final year of Christian Life Club, which she's been in since she was in 1st grade....i think. It was bittersweet, seeing her up on the stage for the last time as a "kid" and me in the audience, the last time as a "mom" of a CLC kid! She will now graduate up to the youth group, which she is happy about, but sad to be leaving CLC. I know how she feels in this "tug of war" life we all seem to lead. We want to advance, we want to stay put. We want something new. We miss the old. We long for old times, we long for the future. One toe in, one toe out. Happy tears. Sad tears. They all stain the same. So, the leaders gave a wonderful finale for the kids, ending with a decorated cake for them and balloons, which were quickly ripped from the table. Sixth graders? No, it felt like a room full of 5 year olds! Serena is planning to complete the study they began in September, which may help her to keep her memories of class fresh too. Her teachers were amazing, and people I hope will always influence her growth. She will also be graduating from sixth grade at school. When we step out of the elementary school, we are finished forever. No more field trips, no more birthday cupcakes, no more stapling clouds on bulletin boards. No more carnivals, book fairs, no more seeing the adorable little kids every day. Sad, yes. But moving on is part of life, and we have to look to the good future we all have in store. Seventh grade means she will be treated more independently, have more expected of her, more freedom with more responsibility, and more exposure to the things I can't control. It will mean being part of a school team for the first time! We look forward, because looking back really is only going to hold us back. That's the best way for a mom to graduate too, I've found. I have to keep looking at the good things to come in their lives and fully embrace the changes we will face. It takes the mystery and the fear out of it. It prepares me to have a good attitude and not to look back too much. Natalie will graduate from eighth grade this year, meaning she will be a freshman next year. High school. I'm a mom of a high-school kid. Whew. Can I still call myself a "stay at home mom"? I'm still mom. I'm still home. Yeah, I guess I'll stick with that for now. My girls may be independent, but as they get older, they seem to need me more. As I go through these graduations with them, I have to remember that their life is changing. Theirs! It's not about me. I'm just here to support. I've already done all that. Who am I to want to stop or control what time will do eventually? No, I must roll with the changes and do what I can as a mom to teach them how to accept change and how to move on. They will do it over and over and over again for sure. So as we all turn our tassels to whichever side they belong, I will also keep turning the pages. This is part of our life story and it's just beginning!