A Lesson Learned from the Back-to-School Rush
September 9, 2009 by thepranamama
Filed under Mom's the Word
I love September. The dog days of summer are replaced with crisp mornings that warm into delightful and dry afternoons. The colors begin to come alive on hydrangeas, sedum and perhaps a few leaves, here and there. And, in my neighborhood, the streets come alive. You see, I live within a quarter-mile of three separate schools, one private and two public. During the summer, we enjoy quiet days without the onslaught of cars, school buses, bicycles and walkers making their way past our house. But in September, when schools open their doors to dozens of eager school children and their nervous parents, there is an energy in the air that lasts only a few weeks. The anticipation and excitement a new school year brings is one of my favorite things about living in this downtown neighborhood, and this year is all the more special, as my oldest child is now enrolled as a Pre-Kindergarten student!
This is my first year experiencing “back-to-school” as a parent. For little kids, summer is no different than the other seasons, and their schedules only change with Mom’s or Dad’s. This year, my daughter enjoyed a carefree summer without summer camp or babysitters. We stayed very busy and had a lot of fun, but when the start of school arrived, we were overjoyed with excitement. We also, admittedly, had a slight case of the new school jitters. Or so I thought.
On each of the first three days of school, while many children were wailing and clinging to their poor mothers trying to launch them into the world, my daughter barely said goodbye to me as she walked off towards her teacher. In previous years and new situations she has been a shy child, but it seems the shock of going to public school hasn’t phased her (If anything, it’s her little brother who has a hard time separating from her!). Each day, I watch her walk down the hall at the tail end of her class line, with her seemingly-giant backpack bobbing behind her and her head held high. I am very proud of my little girl.
What is it about Back-to-School time that fills everyone with such emotion? To me, it’s the adventure of a new beginning. It’s a fresh start, a clean slate. The newness of everything brings out a certain spark in kids and grown-ups alike. Backpacks, clothes, sneakers, haircuts, bus routes, classrooms, teachers, school supplies – the list goes on and on! Everything is new. Nothing has been broken, spilled, torn, stained, forgotten or hurt. Nothing is out of place, no one has done anything wrong. Everything is brand spankin’ new…what a wonderful feeling! Right?
Well, it depends on how you look at it. For many involved with back-to-school, there is fear of the unknown, and when we let our insecurities take over, we suffer. On the other hand, when we go into new situations with an open mind and a willingness to adapt and embrace our environment, we will see the wonderful aspects of change and will not allow fear to get in the way of our dreams. When I was growing up, we moved a few times while I was in high school. Anyone who knows this about me usually asks me how hard it was to change schools at such a pivotal time in my life (those excrutiating teen years). To be honest, at the time, I didn’t mind much. It was hard to say goodbye to good friends, but upon moving to the new school, I felt the rush of a fresh start. Where most kids had known each other for many years, they also knew of every bus stop fight, every embarrassing incident in the school cafeteria or every rumor to circulate through junior high. As the new kid in town, I got the chance to start over, to reinvent myself, to be a mystery with no history to hide from.
Today, just as our kids are growing and changing, finding their way in new shoes down new school hallways, it’s inspiring to think that Moms like us can make a fresh start too. You might pursue something that you’ve always had a passion or a talent for, or spend time volunteering for an organization you’ve always respected. Maybe you can change your routine, not only to accommodate your kids’ new schedules, but also your own needs. Watching my daughter so quickly and easily adapt to her new school has given me the confidence to try some new things myself. Instead of driving 8 miles to the gym to put my son in child care while I squeeze in a workout, I gave my jogging stroller a try for the first time today. (He loved it!) Instead of wishing the years away so that I can go back to a corporate office job when both kids are in school, I am pursuing freelance writing opportunities as a way to feed my soul and my bank account. And tonight, before sitting down to write, I tackled the broken cardboard box on the floor of my office and actually went through all of my personal files before putting them away in my desk (I kid you not, the box has been on the floor for at least six months). All of these things give me a certain amount of fear or unease, but with a new beginning, and a new perspective on life, I can embrace the chance to make a fresh start.
And so, off they go – the school year has begun. We have a whole 10 months to get used to it, until it will change once again! Aha, another important lesson – school certainly does teach us something, doesn’t it?
How do you feel about change? Does the idea of it send shivers down your spine or do you embrace it as a chance to start over? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Don’t like change, but it’s inevitable. Clinging to a certain way only causes angst. I know that angst well (I was one of the kids that moved a lot growing up and DIDN’T like it!). But that is why yoga has been so helpful for me. Yoga teaches us to be unattached as change IS going to happen. As a mom, a business owner and recovering ‘change hater’, my mantra is ‘Just have faith.’ I must say that to myself 100 times a day. After a few years, it’s starting to stick. And as change happens, I’m finding I’m less surprised and much less bothered by it. In fact, I might even be starting to, dare I say it?…relish change. The more I embrace it, the easier it is – AND (here’s the most important thing for me) enjoy the present moment even more.
Thanks for the great post, as always!
I love change and see life as constantly in flux. Change brings about awarenss, growth, new adventures. It pushes you out of your comfort zone and allows you to become a better, more fulfilled person. No its not always easy, simple, or convenient, usually not in the least. But I like myself so much better now than I did 20 years ago and who I am wouldn’t have happened without a whole lot of changes.
One of my favorite song lyrics (but I can’t remember the song) goes:
“Just one thing stays the same,
that everything’s got to change.”
I usually like change when its for the better, but when its unexpected or hard to let go, like a small change I’m going through now with some friends leaving, I do feel sad but I like the idea of re-directing myself – I have a few piles of things that need sorting, not to mention all my other goals.
Great comments! Aruna, I love Sheryl Crow for naming one of her songs “A Change Would Do You Good.” I almost used it in this piece, but realized that change has to come from within. No one can make you change for the better. It’s something that must be realized, thought out and approached with caution, but yes, Donna, it usually allows you to grow as a person and brings new and wonderful experiences.
My life has been a constant change, with homes, friendships, jobs, and schedules. As a parent, change is an absolute. I always say, just when I get through a phase or a challenge with either of my kids, they grow out of it and there is a new challenge to overcome.
Thanks Lisa for recognizing non-attachment as a yoga principle and tying it in to your own personal resistance to change. That ’s why I love yoga, because with or without the ability to touch our toes, we can all apply yoga’s spiritual teachings to our own lives.
I love the Chinese story by Lao Tzu of the farmer who used an old horse to till his fields. One day, the horse escaped into the hills and when the farmer’s neighbors sympathized with the old man over his bad luck, the farmer replied, “Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?” A week later, the horse returned with a herd of horses from the hills and this time the neighbors congratulated the farmer on his good luck. His reply was, “Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?”
Then, when the farmer’s son was attempting to tame one of the wild horses, he fell off its back and broke his leg. Everyone thought this very bad luck. Not the farmer, whose only reaction was, “Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?”
Some weeks later, the army marched into the village and conscripted every able-bodied youth they found there. When they saw the farmer’s son with his broken leg, they let him off. Now was that good luck or bad luck?
Who knows?
The story helps me to deal with set backs or times when things are not going how I’d like them to. It also helps me to appreciate more fully the good times as everything does indeed change. Thanks for the great post!