Back to School (And Back to Tears)

Well, we did it. Sophie is officially in middle school and Theo started first grade today - both back in actual classrooms with actual teachers and actual other humans. After a year and a half of me pretending to be qualified to teach anything beyond basic first aid, they’re finally back where they belong.

Back to School (And Back to Tears)

I thought I was prepared. I packed the lunches, labeled everything twice, made sure Sophie had her schedule memorized and Theo knew his teacher’s name. I was cool, calm, collected… right up until that yellow bus pulled away from our driveway. Then I completely lost it.

The aftermath of the bus departure

Marcus found me ugly-crying in the kitchen twenty minutes later, still holding the tissue box and staring out the window like I was waiting for them to come back. He didn’t say anything, just made me coffee and let me process the fact that my babies are growing up whether I’m ready or not. Sophie looked so confident walking onto that bus - when did she get so tall? And Theo barely looked back, already chatting with some kid about dinosaurs.

They’re going to be fine. Better than fine - they’re going to thrive. Me? I’m going to need a few more tissues and maybe some wine later. But hey, at least I can finally use the bathroom alone again.