How can it be time for new lunch boxes and backpacks already? As I check off the supply list for each returning student in my house, I recall my own youth in Minnesota, where the nip in the air was the first boding of the start of a new school year, not to mention the long, cold winter ahead.
My only gauges of when it’s time for classes to start here are the calendar and the store aisles full of back-to-school supplies.
As my family prepares for this new school year, each of the kids has a different take on the days ahead.
My oldest will be a senior this year and is eagerly anticipating the freedom of early-release days and leaving campus for lunch, plus taking another big step toward adulthood.
Next in line is my freshman. I look at her and her sister and realize what a difference three years can make. As the younger one walked onto campus to pick up her books the other day, I could see in her eyes the excitement of all the adventures that high school promises: new friends, dances, football games— just a few of the joys that await her, no doubt.
As I watch her, I realize how quickly the years pass.
As to the two younger kids, they’re simply excited about all the little things: the new school supply list, who their teacher will be, will their friends from last year be in their class this year? Who will they sit by on the first day?
It is a bittersweet moment when all the kids set off on their first day of school each year, complete with new outfits and backpacks and the dreams of new adventures that lie ahead.
As a mom I watch them set out on the first day hoping that all those dreams are fulfilled.
The only thing missing from my memories of each first day of school is the nip in the air.
