Everywhere I turn I am reading stories and posts from mother’s whose children are starting kindergarten middle school and high school,  and the overwhelming theme is how sad and scared  they are that their children are moving on to this stage in life.  These parents are so emotional at the prospect of their children having to face something new and unknown some of them are literally in pain.  The emotional process of it all is so foreign to me I think to myself, how do these people even function in life?  

This recurrent theme I see in blogs and on Facebook for life events; Boo hoo, my child is growing up, boo hoo, my child is can’t make friends, boo hoo homework is too hard, boo hoo my child has to go to middle school and high school and college and has to get a job and get married and have kids of their own so that they too can boo hoo at the mere act of life progressing and moving forward.

Life is an ever forward moving progression of learning and achieving those things you were not capable of learning and achieving prior.  It’s emotional and messy, filled with the unknown.  It is the purpose for which we are born and live.  I am ecstatic when I can look at the human that I shared my body with for 9 months and see her going forward, moving on to the next stages in life and being ridiculously awesome at it. 

I love that I can help guide her and teach her, right along with all the other people that come and go in her life.  The people that will nurture her and teach her, right along with the people who will show her that life is not fair and break her heart. 

Trepidation is natural but I don’t want her to fear the unknown.  My hope is that she will be strong and capable, attacking each new stage in a way that I can look at and think to myself, I helped create that amazing, capable human being who lives life for every moment that comes along and embraces each unknown thing with courage.

I will always be the safe place she can seek comfort and guidance, but I will never be the person who is sad that she is moving on in any stage of life be it kindergarten or otherwise.