Back to School

It’s that time of year again—back to school! If you’re like me, the summer has flown by, and I don’t even have any school-age kids! I can’t imagine how fast (or maybe slow?) it’s been for mothers who have children home for the summer!

One of the comments on my blog asked what back-to-school traditions we had when the girls were younger. As I watch my daughters (now married and with their own families) preparing their own children to head back to school, it’s easy to recall the many, many years I did the same thing.

Most of our traditions were probably similar to yours: We had fun shopping for new school clothes (you have to have at least one new outfit for the first day of school!), we hunted for the “perfect” backpack and the necessary school supplies, and we took the obligatory first-day-of-school photos.

In addition, each of the girls received a father’s blessing (a priesthood ordinance our church believes in) that provided comfort and guidance for the coming year.

And the tradition I remember most of all, the one that comes to mind first when I think of back-to-school traditions? Me crying as I dropped the girls off and watched them walk away. You’d think after so many daughters and so many years, I would have gotten used to it, but no! I cried every single year, and with every single daughter!

So those were our traditions. . . . I’ll have to ask each of my girls in the coming days if any tears were shed when their children headed off to school. I’m not sure if that’s a tradition that will be handed down from one generation to the next.

Comments

[Terry Molineux]

How bittersweet this subject is as my girls are 29 and 25 and no grandchildren as of yet, thank goodness as they aren't married!!! I knew you would have to cry with each and everyone of your girls as you are a very special person and everything comes from your heart!!!!

Stamping Hugs,
Terry~~

[SHH]

Thanks so much for answering the Back-to-School tradition question. Love the picture! I mistakenly thought that your girls were home-schooled.

[Jacki Montgomery]

will you please go back and edit the post to point out which daughters are in the photo you posted? I am making my guesses as to who is who and am dying to know if I am correct.

[Chelsea]

oh, my, goodness! i love that photo! i remember shanna's dress distinctly. i always loved that dress...
what about shalae in her side pony and her bike shorts! LOVE IT.
We went over to that house the other day while in BC. it's still just like always. I laughed... I remember that as the "coolest" place to live. Seriously.
We were so cool growing up.

[Deb]

I think that tears on the first day of school is something every mother must go through. I have a son and I beleive it's just a rite of passage for mothers everywhere. He will be 23 on monday and I still tear up. I'm so very proud of all he has accomplished as well as the set backs he's gone through. He is my pride and joy!!!!

[Diana Gibbs]

I remember one of the things we did our first day of school was to take a happy picture and a sad picture. Don't ask me why, I was just the kid doing what I was told.

It sure is nice to think of days gone by, the older we get the time flies by so fast.

See you next month!

Hugs,
Di

[Brooke]

I was one of your daughter's (Sage) preschool teachers at the Christian Center in Boulder City. Your picture brought back a lot of memories for me. I even have some stamp pads that you donated to the teachers. They are 17+ years old & still have wet ink! My daughter (7) uses them.

[Renee Ondrajka]

I'm right there with you on the crying part Shelli. I still do. Both of our girls live at home and commute to college and have jobs and are just plain busy and not around most of the time, but I can guarantee you that when they start their 4th and 2nd years of college respectfully in a few short days I will no doubt cry as they leave that day just as I have for the last 17 years and will no doubt even try to sneak a picture in. *grin* Our children are tied to our hearts forever and at this point in their lives I'm not sure they quite get that, but I know they will when one day they hold their first child and then send them off to their first day of school. Now I've cried just writing this. *grin*

[Kim Williams]

I managed to make it through my daughter's kindergarten year without crying, but for some reason I feel really sad about sending her to 1st grade this year. (Maybe because she keeps telling me that now she is in "big girl" school.)

Love the picture! Thanks for sharing with us.

[Created By You]

Funny how we cry when our children go off to school on the first day.. it's a right of passage I suppose! They grow up so quickly, and the next thing you know your babies are having babies :) Thanks for sharing your story and tradition Shelli!

[Susan]

Oh Shelli, I love this picture! Please do tell us who is who in the picture, and approximately what year this was taken! My girls are 27, 29 and 31 and they're all teachers (and so are the two sons-in-law), so they're doing the "back to school" thing from the teacher's point of view!! My oldest isn't teaching anymore because she's staying home taking care of HER two little girls, ages 1 and 2 - and the cycle goes on!

Susan from Chicago

[Staci Miserlian]

Ha! This picture looks like the cast of "Full House" - rock on! :) I kwym, though, about the bittersweet school traditions. We've started one where we go the night before out for a special dessert at "The Melting Pot" as a family and then I also try to get photos on the first school morning.

[Debbie]

As for the "tradition" of shedding tears, I did with my 3 kids, and now with my 2 grand daughters. I caught my daughter wiping a tear when her daughter started kindergarten, so I guess that is a tradition that is being passed on. Love the picture of the girls.

[Kathy T]

I cried the first day of each new school year from K-12. You don't even want to know how I cried when we dropped our precious only child off at college in another state and she just waved goodbye and went in the dorm!