Schools Out....til next year

I feel like someone keeps making me jump into the ice bath, then crawl into the sauna.  My conflicting emotions today are overwhelming.  We are on the countdown.  My daughter is done with high school. Tomorrow, she has completed a 13-year chapter in her life.  I am so very proud, and so very sad, all at the same time.  I know it is the right thing for her to be done three quarters early, and I know that her working for a couple of months, then starting college early is the good and right thing to do, but  the Mommy part of me is very, very sad.  Believe-it-or-not, I am not ready for all of this maturity.

She is terrified.  Of course, she is not admitting it, but she is, and I know it.  The reality of adulthood has enveloped her and she is scared.  Sometimes fright is not a bad thing.

As fate would have it, I have worked to get her a temporary job at my work.  The requirements are that she be 18 years old, and a high school graduate.  Se interviews for a full-time job on Monday. She will be working full-time for about two months, even with the opportunity for over-time.  There will be no rest for the weary.  I personally hope that they work her so hard and she gets so frustrated that she appreciates that in order to move on to better things, she needs to buckle down and take college seriously. 

However, I was young once too.  (I kind of remember it….tee hee)  Moving into this next chapter will bring adventures and stumbling blocks and anyone who thinks otherwise is silly.  Personally, I changed my major four times before I graduated with a Social Work degree, and one would argue that I maybe should have made one more change.  I know that the future will be interesting for my daughter.  Heck, the past and current have been interesting, so why would that stop now.  However, I also know that as corny as it sounds, I love and appreciate her more and more every day.  She has been a challenge to parent, but also a delight.  She has allowed me to experience so many things that I would not have otherwise experienced, and I have been able to appreciate them through her eyes, which has been a real adventure at times.  I have had my best times, and my worst times with her by my side. 

She is an excellent mother.  It is such a delight to watch a young, energetic and spry young Mommy crawl on the floor and play with her increasingly mobile son.  He will so appreciate her youth.  I envision a future with lots of activity, and she cannot wait to be the parent that volunteers to coach his teams.  He delights in her every move and is at the place where he is not at all happy if she even leaves the room for a minute. 

I need to thank Nerstrand Elementary, Faribault Middle School, Faribault High School, and the Area Learning Center for making my daughter’s education possible.  She had a fantastic start as a member of the inaugural Kindergarten class at the Nerstrand Charter School.  Nerstrand nurtured her and offered an elementary education that could not have been surpassed.  Faribault Middle and High School allowed her to transition and to exercise her athletic abilities, which kept her happy throughout her adolescence. And, finally, the ALC, which picked her up when she was most vulnerable, and allowed her to make her own path.  Education is what you make of it as a student, and even though it is a known fact that there are always room for improvements in the education system, a lot of things were done right also.

Letting go is a difficult thing.  But being able to watch the transformation to independence is beautiful.

CONGRATS FALCON FOOTBALL!!!  We may have gained an early graduate, but we did not lose a Pep Band player!!!!