For Kristina

 To the Moms of Seniors Who Are Not Okay:

On this occasion—the last first day for all the seniors—there are moms that are not ok.  They barely made it through today. Today was rough.

The last first day, means it’s the last everything when it comes to school. Sports, classes, awards ceremonies—all coming to an end. Sad. 

But hear me out. How many lasts have passed without notice? The last car seat. The final diaper. The last toy. The last birthday hat. The final piñata. The last tuck in…

In the middle of all the parenting, in our exhaustion, we missed many of those lasts. We didn’t even realize it. We didn’t have the chance to mourn those lasts. We missed them. (Me?! I celebrated that last diaper, I promise you!) 

This last first, it’s here. It’s ugly. It’s brutal. It’s heart wrenching. It’s beautiful. It’s a tribute. It means you made it. You raised a tiny human into a mini adult. 

Sure they talk back and do stupid stuff, probably every day. Sometimes you want to slap them—I’m told that goes away eventually. 

But you really did it. You’ve got them to the homestretch. After the high school finish line, is a brave new chapter. This chapter involves copious amounts of toeing the line—teaching and not over reaching. 

This new chapter is still beautifully written. The kid is still your baby, and they always will be. 

I encourage you to lean into all the feelings. Enjoy this last first. Embrace the feels. Cry. After you’ve had a good cry, immediately start organizing photos for juniors grad party, because it’ll be here before you know it. 

When June rolls around and you didn’t listen, don’t cry to me that you’re ill prepared. I’ll direct you back to this post dated September 4th. 

In this final year of high school, take the time to look back on the history and look ahead to the future. The future looks pretty great.