We had ballet, drama, swimming, athletics, etc. (not all at the same time!!)

Birthday parties.

Play dates.

Pyjama parties.

More and more, the children developed a life all of their own, with their own friends and hobbies.

On a bad day it seemed like we were a taxi and food service…

On a good day, of course we loved seeing them get on and grow into the people they were becoming.

Then things changed again. Just when we thought we kinda had it sussed, it all took on a life of its own!

There were teenage discos.

Cinema trips in groups with boys AND girls.

Meeting for food.

Meeting for coffee!!

Not teenage discos.

House parties.

Then there was a big lull, a big fckn, dumb pandemic lull!

And then we’re off again…

To the pub no less, the proper, over 18, no questions asked pubs.

Trips away, off around the country.

And now to college!

Well now I’m stuck for words, I mean what can I say. College. It’s one big unknown.

I’m feeling it’s a bit like first day of school again, except she won’t be wearing little black leather shoes all new and shiny!

We are entering a brand-new chapter; with people we haven’t met before, she is going to ‘school’ in a building she hasn’t seen, studying subjects she has no idea about…

It’s all good though!

She had totally outgrown school.

It’s forward movement.

It’s development, growth, fulfilment and so much more.

New chapters are important in life. Unfortunately, closing the old ones can be painful but this is a process that is necessary, and equally as important. Sometimes we don’t see even how important until some time afterwards.

This is a point worth remembering, that we actually don’t know how something will affect us until afterwards. Maybe a long time afterwards. Occasionally, when we have to close a chapter, and we don’t want to, we may see the benefits clearly, which then helps us, and we may never see them as obvious at all…. I like to trust that they are there and we don’t always need to know the bigger picture.

So, I wish my daughter, and all the sons and daughters off to college, that this new chapter meets all the growing, developing and independent needs they have. I wish them curiosity and eagerness to embrace new things (not too curious or eager!!). I hope they meet good friends who they can trust and lean on, and other people who become their ‘teachers’. I wish them resilience and insight so that the lessons taught from these ‘teachers’ inflict only manageable pain. I wish them an open heart, that they can be vulnerable enough to feel freely, be creative and have fun, while strong enough to put the head down and take no shit.