In among the tremendous amount of work on my child's part, there has
been a lot of proofreading, travel accompanying, and general
hand-holding on my part. But every so often, because of scheduling and a busy life
and circumstances just being what they are, there are parts that she has
had to do on her own. They are big steps for her--practice, as it were,
for the end goal in all of this--and even bigger steps for me, as I get
my head, and my heart, around the fact that she will soon enter that
big world.
When we started this whole process, it felt not so different (even if
bigger) than the school processes we had managed before. We have
applied to preschool and kindergarten, middle school and high school,
and we have handled both the stress of applying and the outcomes of
application decisions. But at the end of the process, the child has still been
a presence. In a different school, but still here.
When we finish this process, hopefully with positive results, the child
who started it will be more than a child. When we finish this process,
hopefully with everyone happy, the kid who sat next to us filling out
forms and figuring out essay topics will be beginning life in a new
place, still our child, but an independent being. So, perhaps it is
appropriate that at points along the way, she is going it alone, and
that I am going it at home without her. Perhaps it is one of the most
important steps for both of us. Because in the end, it's not just about
getting in. It's about being independent--and happy--once you're there.
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