Each year when I see the school supplies show up in the stores, I start to feel reflective and am flooded with back-to-school memories.  The “tears and cheers” of sending our kids back to the classroom and now for me, the sorority house, is a real thing for parents.  Helena, our 20-year-old, is a Kappa Kappa Gamma at Ole Miss and today is her first day of 15th grade (a.k.a. junior year).  Our son, Jackson, is in the beginning of his high school senior year and I am like a sponge in their lives.  

I am here to tell you that as I watch our Pinnacle Preschoolers arrive today back to school, it never gets easier even with older kids. There is something emotional that goes on with us parents as a new school year starts.  I guess it’s the tangible evidence that they’re indeed progressing a year, getting older, and… so are we.  It’s inevitable that nothing stays the same.

So, I am soaking up every single hug, every single “love you mom” and even savoring events like Back to School Night.  It’s a big year in the McGinn household, and we are bracing for the last ride.

It's also nice to know that there are so many parents in my family’s situation that I can lean on here at church.  We all feel each other’s pain and now we plan to say cheers through our tears at a Pinnacle college parents’ event next month.  We will share stories; growth pangs, and support one another as some seasoned parents join us with their wisdom.  Surviving the goodbyes is a skill and I need to learn it.  Send me a note if you would like to join us or enjoy a cup of coffee over these shared feelings.  We’ve got this!