The Month of Learning Dangerously

As the mother of a 17-year-old athlete, I've been incredibly lucky to have avoided sports injuries. A few days ago, my luck ran out.

Smiles from the E.R.

She blocked the shot. Yay! She broke her wrist. Ouch!

This has been a challenging month for Alex. Calculus is living up to its reputation as hell on earth. College applications and essays are taxing. Her golf game has been unpredictable. Missing the rest of her final season in both soccer and golf was unexpected and unwelcome news. She is deeply disappointed.

But she is handling it.

Actually, she's dealing with everything much better than I expected. Certainly better than I would have at her age. It's surprising to see how well the kid is managing this whirlwind senior year so far. While it's hard to watch my daughter face more stress, anxiety, sadness and hurdles, every experience adds new coping skills to her arsenal. I'm coming to the realization that she will indeed be ready for college next year.

Yay! Ouch!

Strange But True

The number of poppy seeds that lodge in my teeth after eating a bagel appears to be in direct proportion to my age.

Ragetoon from Poor, Sweet Baby

Senioritis

I'm sure you recognize it - the traditional
"first day of school" pic on the porch

Today is the first day of Alex's senior year. The summer whizzed right by for her, full of campus tours, babysitting, summer homework, volunteering and a little fun thrown in here and there.

Those summer weeks went by too fast for me, too. I miss the long, lazy days between graduating from one grade to the next. Truth is, they never really happened for my daughter. She was in year-round school and, let's face it, kids just don't have the downtime or freedom we had back-in-the-day.

.Monopoly marathons, running through the sprinkler, days at the lake.
..Riding bikes to get an ice cream cone or candy at the corner store.
...Tag, baseball, Hide and Seek and take-no-prisoners Crack the Whip.
....Playing outside until Mom calls your name from the front door.

They were simple, nothing special activities. But together, these memories spark a Norman Rockwell feeling deep down in my soul.

And I'm grateful.

Alex has had some great experiences, but a very different childhood. I hope, as she sends her firstborn off to his or her first day of senior year, she reflects back on her days as a kid and smiles. Realizing you have one calendar year left before they head off to college brings nostalgia front and center.

Testing. Testing. 1, 2, 3.

Obvious disclosure: I am not great with technology. But I'm giving this blog thing a shot!