Last First Day

Last First Day

Many schools started their school year today. I am sure many tears were shed by children and adults alike. There is nothing like the first day of a new school year!

This morning, as I was facilitating a workshop for a lovely group of early childhood professionals in Massachusetts, I received a text from my daughter. As I opened the text, I saw her beautiful face with the caption "last first day of school picture." While I kept saying that this was my daughter's senior year of college, it didn't hit me until I saw her gorgeous face and those words.

I don't want to be one of those people who tells parents to enjoy every moment, that time flies by, etc. The truth is that sometimes time flies by, and other times, the moments feel too long and too difficult.

Raising children isn't easy. It takes patience and understanding. You need to be flexible and also hold boundaries. You need to respond instead of reacting. You learn to re-parent & heal yourself as you nurture and love your child.

An essential lesson that all parents need to understand is that their child is their own person. They are not a miniature version of you or your parenting partner. The biggest gifts you can ever give your child is unconditional love and acceptance.