The night before the first day of school …she is trying on her outfit and saying…”Is this ok? What about this? How about that? Etc. Yes, the hood is a must! ? Or not.
Sending Tatum back after a year and a half of homeschooling was deeply bittersweet. Homeschooling her was hard….stretch-your-patience, dig-deep hard, but it was also one of the most meaningful seasons we’ve shared. Slow mornings. Learning side by side. Watching her grow not just academically, but as a person. Letting that go wasn’t easy… even though I knew she was ready.
And oh, was she ready.
To help her carry a little comfort with her, I put a small sloth (to CHILL) in the car with us as a buddy. His name was Silas! SMILE
along with a prayer card in her lunch. Just something quiet to remind her she’s never walking alone.
When we arrived, God gave us one of those small but mighty moments of grace. We ran into Liam right away, and he helped her with her locker.
“Three turns, two left, one right… now what?”
Cue the nervous laugh, the figuring it out together, the confidence quietly building.
Then came the rapid-fire questions:
Where are my classes?
When is lunch?
Wait… 11:00 am?!
What about cross country…when does that start?
She soaked it all in! Friends. Responsibility. Independence. She is so ready for it ALL! (am I? HA!)
When she got home, there was no homework just relief and excitement, so we curled up together to watch Downton Abbey, our current shared obsession.
But then… the twist.
After dinner, we noticed it: her ear. The second piercing had worked its way through her earlobe. It was scary. And sad. One of those moments you wish you could rewind and fix instantly.
At first, DISASTER. BUT. later.
Head held high. Tender lobe and all.
Tomorrow, she’ll walk back into school just the same…strong and brave.
I’ll still miss her every day!