Tuesday, June 1, 2010

The Circle of Life Rotates Once Again

Every year at about this time I am reminded of the circle of life.  Most people probably have these feelings around New Year's, but for me it is when the school year ends and we move our kids onto the next section of their lives.

If you look back you will realize the memories you have are divided into school years, not calendar years.  You associate haircuts with school pictures, you remembers friends with classroom teachers and you remember vacations as the void in between.

Right now my son is transitioning out of school and into the wild and crazy world of summer vacation.  He has 10 weeks of activities, trips, projects and fun to look forward to.  As a parent I have 10 weeks of activities, trips, projects and fun to plan. (Can anyone say summer school?)

As I pack up his mementos from last school year and preserve his art for embarrassing teenage moments, I am reminded that parents all over the world participate in this same ritual.  We watch our children grow, we watch them change, and we gently nudge them forward.  The circle of their lives continues...and the circle of mine is enriched.

2 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness, Laura, you are so right-on. I have long held that my "new year" starts at the beginning of the school year. That's when I'm energized and want to make new goals. It follows that this time a year is the time I start to take stock and see how I'm doing. All this and I've been out of school for decades! No matter what the calendar shows, New Year's is Labor Day weekend! Thanks for the great reminder. Mary

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  2. Mary,

    I am glad I am not the only one! As I sat at the counter going through kid projects I realized I was at the beginning of a new year and new hopes/dreams. May we all have an amazing new year!

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