What Will You Do Now?
by Shannon Jarvies

Wait a minute. Half of my kids will be in school this fall. That also means half the mess, more than half of the fighting (my baby doesn't fight with anyone:) and half of the noise that I'm used to. This might be a welcomed change afterall.

As the days slowly get shorter and the big "Back To School Sale!" signs peak out of every shopping center, I'm having mixed feelings about the season. As a child, I loved school clothes shopping and the excitement of new friends, classes, extra-cirricular activities and all of the changes a new school year brings. But as a mother, these feelings of nostalgia are often bitter sweet.

For one thing, my oldest son is not particularly fond of school (that's an understatement). He's determined to give his attitude towards school to his younger sister who is starting kindergarten this fall. She's got the excitement I once had, and her brother's remarks about how bad school really is hasn't put a damper on her enthusiasm one bit.

But what about me? Two out of my four children will be in school so it's going to be quite a change to what I've been used to this summer. My house will be a lot quieter, less laughter and fewer slumber parties. All of my friends keep asking me, "What will do with yourself?". I  often wonder that myself.

My babies are growing up. Of course this is good, it means they're strong healthy children and I've been greatly blessed. But it also pulls at my heart strings to see the once-dependant-on-their-mother-for-everything child turn into an I-can-do-it-myself kindergartener. Excitement. Dread. Wonder. Joy. How can I be feeling all of these feelings at once?

Wait a minute. Half of my kids will be in school this fall. That also means half the mess, more than half of the fighting (my baby doesn't fight with anyone:) and half of the noise that I'm used to. This might be a welcomed change afterall. While my kids are discovering their new world of ABC's and 123's, I'll be discovering new books, writing new stories and surfing new websites.

So the next time a friend asks what I'm going to do when my kids start school I'll just shake my head and smile. I won't tell if you won't.

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