To Every Mama Sending Their Kids Back to School
Everyone on Facebook is beginning to post their “back-to-school” photos. I love all those cute pictures of kids in their new clothes and new backpacks, all holding signs that remind the world that they are entering a new grade.
I believe this August represents our 22nd year of getting kids ready to start a new school year. Four of our kids have finished high school, but our little caboose is still at it. So we have been there and done that.
Back-to-school time brings some unique stresses and challenges. Moms feel a variety of emotions. There’s relief that the kids are going to get some structure after the lazy days of summer. But there’s also the recognition that most evenings will now be filled with homework stress and test anxiety. Parents who hate saying “Did you finish your homework?” will find themselves saying it several times a day. Ugh.
But something popped up on Jenifer’s Instagram feed yesterday that prompted her to do a post on Facebook that you may have already seen. (It got a lot of likes and comments.) It was so good that I felt it was worth sharing here.
The picture that prompted her response was posted by the City of Marietta, our hometown. It was a happy picture of a fireman giving high-fives and fist-bumps to elementary students on their first day of school. The young man in the photo is a hero because he is committed to saving lives, but he’s also a hero because he took 20 minutes to encourage anxious children as they head back to the classroom.
We really love this photo because it’s a picture of our son.
Which brings me to my precious wife’s beautiful post on Facebook. Here’s what she said:
All back to school mamas out there!!!!!!
This just blessed me so much this morning. My little boy who kicked his preschool teacher in the shins at meet the teacher night. Never was in love with school. Couldn’t sit still. Didn’t like taking tests......
Then went on to get his Fire Science degree! Waited patiently to get on with a firehouse. Aced all of his major testing to become a fireman EMT. Went through really hard medical testing so he can save your life on the way to a hospital (God forbid) or get you out with the “jaws of life” in record time. He also has a lucrative landscaping business and just purchased him and his wife their first home!!!!
Not EVERY kid in the world is going to do perfectly in school so hang in there and just let them become who God wants them to be!!! Don’t put so much pressure on them to do everything and get it all PERFECTLY right. We have quite the tendency to do just that in places like East Cobb and Grapevine, Colleyville, Southlake. All the places we’ve raised our 5 kids. Places where everyone needs to be PERFECT at EVERYTHING.
FOCUS on teaching your kids to walk with God.
To listen for HIS VOICE.
To look for the strengths and giftedness that only God can give them.
Ask God to help you let go and allow HIM to turn your child into who He wants them to be. Don’t think that I am a mom who doesn’t understand how painful this can be sometimes. We are going through just this type of hardship with Maddie Kate right now and it’s soooo painful when your child doesn’t always fit the mold.