off to College
Both of our children are young adults who went off to college. They were several hundred miles from us and not in one of the home-for-the-weekend-laundry situation. Not that that is bad, after all it is what John and I both did, but it is different. I broke into 'open weeping' before they left. Joy I kept saying, it was joy! But it was bittersweet kind of joy.
I was happy that they had worked hard and done well in high school and had chosen and been chosen by a fine school. They were both ready as they can be. The question was..are we?
There is a lot about how children are ready or not for school. For example when our son had is ready for 1st grade test he failed 'tying' shoes. He'd never had to tie a shoe as he'd worn velcro latching or flip-flops. He learned that night and went in to show his teacher. She already knew he was ready as he had read not only his part of the 'ready to read' test as he had read her part upside down from where he sat. Ya, he was ready.
There was the woman who sat next to me at lunch at the college-- with her mother and when I said, "Well i know that when he comes home it just won't be the same after this experience." She looked at her mother and said, "What does she mean?" The grandmother looked at me, at the daughter, at the grandson and just smiled. "You are right." the Grandmother said. "What?" said the mom.
But are parents ready? I remember seeing a mother walking a small child away from a school and she was just weeping. I thought to stop and offer aid, then I remembered it was the first day of school no doubt she'd just taken an older one off to Kindergarten and realized the changing of an era.
How about college? I cried at the College President's reception at my son's school. I walked in and asked if that was the place for open weeping? they laughed and I started crying. They remembered me for that for several years the weeping mom.
We are ready to teach our children how to walk and how to walk away.(from a book called Men are Just Deserts) I read that when Betsy was 5 months old.
True, it is true. We need to teach our children all of that...
and then we need to teach ourselves how let them know we believe they are ready for all the life that is before them.
We are ready to walk into our new life.
Wow, no wonder parents are tired. We work hard to get them ready.
Are the parents ready? Good work and be gentle with yourself.
Bless you all who are sending them off...
God abides
Bobbie Giltz McGarey
@2006
I was happy that they had worked hard and done well in high school and had chosen and been chosen by a fine school. They were both ready as they can be. The question was..are we?
There is a lot about how children are ready or not for school. For example when our son had is ready for 1st grade test he failed 'tying' shoes. He'd never had to tie a shoe as he'd worn velcro latching or flip-flops. He learned that night and went in to show his teacher. She already knew he was ready as he had read not only his part of the 'ready to read' test as he had read her part upside down from where he sat. Ya, he was ready.
There was the woman who sat next to me at lunch at the college-- with her mother and when I said, "Well i know that when he comes home it just won't be the same after this experience." She looked at her mother and said, "What does she mean?" The grandmother looked at me, at the daughter, at the grandson and just smiled. "You are right." the Grandmother said. "What?" said the mom.
But are parents ready? I remember seeing a mother walking a small child away from a school and she was just weeping. I thought to stop and offer aid, then I remembered it was the first day of school no doubt she'd just taken an older one off to Kindergarten and realized the changing of an era.
How about college? I cried at the College President's reception at my son's school. I walked in and asked if that was the place for open weeping? they laughed and I started crying. They remembered me for that for several years the weeping mom.
We are ready to teach our children how to walk and how to walk away.(from a book called Men are Just Deserts) I read that when Betsy was 5 months old.
True, it is true. We need to teach our children all of that...
and then we need to teach ourselves how let them know we believe they are ready for all the life that is before them.
We are ready to walk into our new life.
Wow, no wonder parents are tired. We work hard to get them ready.
Are the parents ready? Good work and be gentle with yourself.
Bless you all who are sending them off...
God abides
Bobbie Giltz McGarey
@2006
posted by Bobbie Giltz McGarey at
6:08 PM
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