The senior pictures of our kids have been popping up on Facebook throughout the summer. Our little munchkins look beautiful, handsome and all-of-a-sudden grown up.
It is their time to shine. They are seniors. And, we are senior parents.
Many of our kids were millennial babies, born in the year 2000. As the world worried about Y2K, we were reading “What To Expect When You Are Expecting” or “What To Expect The First Year.”
Eric Crouch was leading the Huskers, “The Tigger Movie” was playing on the big screen and “Amazed” by the country band Lonestar topped the charts on the radio. We hadn’t yet heard of iTunes, Pandora or Facebook. And, 2018 seemed so far away.
Yet, now were are here. In just a few short months, the calendar will say it’s true – ready or not, 2018 will be here before we know it.
As I reflect on the past years, I am grateful for the friendships that have come about because of our kids. Some of you I met when our children were just babies – at church, at car-seat safety checks and at the playground. Our kids have been friends since before they had hair!
Others, I met further along the journey – preschool, Kindermusic and kindergarten roundup (wasn’t that just yesterday!?)
We’ve been through a lot together, and we’ve helped each other through. Some parents taught the kids how to pitch, hit and field in little league baseball. Others taught them how to dribble a basketball, catch a football or score a soccer goal.
Some parents shared their faith, teaching our kids prayers and how to love God and others. Some taught them how to care for animals or sew on a button in 4-H.
We’ve carpooled, stayed up all night hosting sleepovers and entertained each other’s kids throughout the years. Our kids have celebrated birthdays and other milestones together like first days of school, Confirmation, prom and homecoming. We gathered in the background taking photos of our kids as they went to homecoming and prom.
We’ve sat through torrential downpours of rain, 50 mph winds, freezing temperatures, snow and 100-degree summer days together watching our kids run, bat, throw, kick and swing a racket. We listened patiently throughout the years as some kids nervously sang their first solos in middle school and then suddenly blossomed into confident characters with strong voices in the high-school musical.
And now here we are, beginning the last year of watching these precious kids of ours as they shine together for one last year.
I look forward to seeing how our kids continue to blossom in their futures, but I will miss you – class of 2018 parents (and your kids!).
We will always have a common bond that we’ll share, and I’ll treasure the memories forever. Let’s enjoy this senior year and then find a way to stay in touch as our kids venture out of the nest and spread their wings.
But for now (for one last year), I’ll see you in the bleachers!
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