The Good Stuff

Jill said when she read my post about depressing graduations, she was waiting to see the good stuff.

That Jill... running coach turned life coach all of the sudden?

She's right though.  There was good stuff.  I owe it to my narcissistic little blog to make mention of it.

I think I hone in on the negative more than I should because I resent school just a little bit because they have my children and I don't (and because I'm naturally sarcastic).

But there were good things.  There were ways I saw my children blossom and bloom.

I love that they loved (most of) their teachers.

I love the serious way Emma approached her homework.

I love how Braeden learned to manage 7 teachers when before he'd only had one. (Me.  Sniff.)

While I didn't love, I appreciated (?) the hard things.  The times when kids were mean, when assignments were hard, when they felt slighted.  I know they need these kinds of experiences to make them into who I want them to be:  compassionate, responsible, unencumbered by feelings of entitlement.

I loved attending Braeden's 8th grade poetry reading.  (8th grade poetry?  Fabulous.)

I love that Emma's teacher cried on the last day of school when she read "Oh the Places You'll Go" to her class.

Emma with her adored teacher, Mrs. Schroeder

I loved band concerts and the culmination of huge projects and seeing my children be stoic in the face of rainy walks to the bus with enormous backpacks.  (No, I won't drive you.  Do you think I want to go out in this rain?)

I love the new friends they met and bonds they formed and how excited they were to tell each other about their daily adventures and to pore over their yearbooks together. 

I really really love that they're now home for the summer!!!