To my baby boy. This is our last month at home together. You graduated the 5th grade and will soon begin a new journey. Today is middle school orientation and I don’t even know how this is possible when I literally just took you home from the hospital, but here we are. There’s now an entirely new world that awaits you in middle school and beyond. I know your nervous and a bit anxious and that’s normal. You didn’t have a 5th grade year like most kids get to. You’ve been home with me learning virtually and by the time 6th grade starts in a few days it will be 18 months since you touched foot in a school building. You went without seeing friends for long lengths of time and learned a ton of new things without ever being in the physical presence of a teacher. You have faced many challenges one by one but guess what? You also conquered them! Every day you showed up, even when you didn’t want too. Everyday I had the gift of watching you learn and grow and tackle the most difficult year of everyone’s life with stamina and perseverance. I will miss our “Tia and Ty’s Tuesday Tango” dates, something we created to get out into the world again and to treat ourselves for getting through another week. I will miss you coming in to kiss my forehead and asking me to dance with you in between virtual classes. I will miss all your hugs that got ME through the tough days, and I will most definitely miss the time we got to spend together everyday, all day, your last year of elementary school! These memories will be vaulted in my brain and cherished in my heart.
As much as I will miss all of that is the same amount of excitement I have for you to start school again. I cannot wait to see you walk into that big middle school building with a group of friends by your side talking about video games, baseball or how PE was. I am over the moon for you to be in the presence of peers, and to learn and look up to new teachers inside of an actual classroom. I can’t wait to hear about the cool teacher and do even more school shopping with you for whatever Vans are in style and yet another book bag that no longer boasts dinosaurs or baseballs! I am so excited for you to see what you can bring to the world after what the world has brought to you the past year. I know you will do big things because you already have! I am so proud of you! We hear many things about your generation not being like others in the past but this year has proven otherwise. Your generation is just opposite, soft on the outside but hard on the inside…where it matters. You tackled challenges unheard of and you amaze me how you keep pushing yourself to be better. Your kind heart, gentle soul and love for everyone is a gift and I’m so proud to be your mom! Even though this picture reminds me of how much you have grown please just remember, for all the places you will go, forever in my heart…my baby you will be. Go get YOUR future baby, it’s all in front of you! #ClemsonFreshman2028
Love,
Mom
