“A portrait of my children every week in 2016.”
Lillia: Summer vacation has officially come to an end, and I know you’re not thrilled about going back to school. You really enjoyed being home—drawing, reading, watching your favorite shows, Skype-ing with your friend Jessica who lives in England. The last month of summer seemed to fly by with total disregard for your attempts to lengthen it. But, it’s not a total loss. A new school year brings new opportunities and, despite your protests, I think you really do enjoy school and the challenges it brings. There will be interesting projects, and school plays, and dance lessons, and all manner of things filling up your days. It will not be summer vacation, but it will still be fun.
Zane: Where do I begin? Today is your very last day at home with me before starting kindergarten. You’ve been in preschool the last two years, but there is such a different impulse behind the word “school” that leaves me feeling a bit breathless—how exactly DID all that time pass? Part of me wants to look away and have it all be over quickly, so that I don’t have to feel anything. Another part of me wants to savor these last few hours, since we will never have them again. I am not very good at living in the present—I daydream, and plan, and reflect—and miss a lot of little moments as they happen. It is only when we must cross a threshold together that I realize those moments are now forever irretrievable.
Beautifully written sentiments on Zane’s transition to a school age kid.