It’s that time of year!
The Spring hustle and bustle is in full swing.
Another year has passed, and for some, it’s been a big year. The newest class of graduates is happily about to cross that stage.
And moms everywhere are sneaking in their tears in random places. Hoping to be almost cried out by the time they make it to the ceremony!
(Okay, the veteran moms with a few left in the nest may be doing better than some of us. And that’s ok too).
But for many of us, we find ourselves getting emotional in the private, uneventful moments – like when we open the letter in our car about the cap and gown fees, or when we add the “Last Day of School” to our calendars on our phone.
Whether its Preschool, Kindergarten, eighth grade, high school or college graduation, one thing is for sure – graduations bring out a flood of emotions in moms.
Did I do it right?
Did I do enough?
Did I help them thrive in this stage of their lives?
Did I embrace these years?
Why did it go so fast?
Why does it have to be over?
Why do they have to grow up?
Can’t they stay this age forever?
Will they always love me this much?
Will they remember these years with happiness?
Are they happy?
Do they believe in themselves?
I could go on…
The thoughts that fill our minds as moms watching our babies cross that stage can’t be summed up.
As we stare at them during the graduation ceremony, it’s as if we are watching their childhoods played out on a movie screen in fast motion.
We desperately want to hit Pause, but in this moment – the movie keeps playing.
As our eyes fill with tears, we think about the fact that it feels like yesterday that they came into this world. A lot has happened since then, and we have earned our wrinkle lines of honor to show for it.
But, somehow, it does seem like it went extremely fast.
And I don’t know about you, but I find myself analyzing the role I played in the movie.
I think that’s the thing that no one tells you about being a mother. You are always going to question yourself. Because there is no award given at the end of this life for “Best Mother.”
You just do the best you know how to do, and you hope that you set your child up for a happy life and that you have properly prepared them to handle storms with perseverance and a “Don’t Quit” attitude.
And in these milestone moments, you can’t help but reflect on the season you are leaving behind and the new phase of Motherhood you are about to enter.
As you take a picture of your graduate, you see your baby through the camera lens.
The baby that no longer needs a swaddle blanket. The baby that no longer requires your 24/7 attention. The baby that used to squat under the table to poop in private. The baby that clung to your leg in new places because you were their security blanket. The baby that begged to ride on the side of the grocery cart on every single shopping trip.
You wipe a tear, peek through the camera lens, and you see the baby that changed your life staring back at you.
And you are so, so proud.
Of your baby. Your little wingman/wing-lady!
And of yourself.
To the kids entering a new stage of your lives – Good Luck! You did it! Now go conquer the world!
And to the moms out there cheering them on...Congratulations to you on a job well done.
You are a HUGE reason behind that smile in the pictures.
And YES.
One hundred percent...you did it, too!
