By Tobi Schwartz-Cassell
Buying backpacks, spiral notebooks, and folders festooned with kittens is one thing. Shopping for comforters, coffee makers and Twin XL sheets is another. No doubt about it, there’s a big difference between sending your fifth grader back to school and packing up your child and sending her or him off to college. It’s “Back to School” in the extreme.
It was a fun summer for Jardin and her BFFs, Kat & Jae, but now it’s time for the next phase for them, her, and us.
Remember my last blog post about waffles on vacation? Well here we are with the brownie waffle I made, just before we devoured it. Click on the pic to get a better look. (Front: Jae; Back L to R: Jardin, Stan & me.)
We’ve been through the college thing before with Jardin’s big brother Richard. It was eight years ago, and she was just 10 years old, so it felt like we’d have tons of time with her. But it’s amazing how quickly eight years can fly by.
Two years ago, upon Richard’s graduation from the University of the Arts, I flashed back to when we saw him off to college. I wrote about it for Girlfriendz Magazine, and just dug up the article so I could share it with you—especially those of you who are seeing your child off to college, and shifting to your new reality (click on the article to enlarge it):
And now, I hope you’ll indulge me as I say a few words to my girl:
My dear, beautiful Jardin,
Be safe…
Be good…
Work hard…
Have fun…
But not too much fun.
And always, always remember…
I love you to the moon and back.
Love,
Mom
xoxox
If you’ve sent one or more of your children off to college, I’m sending you a virtual hug. Please tell me your story, or tell me how you’re coping. Use the comment section below. And thanks so much for sharing.
♥
