“A day without naps is a really long day, maman.” Tess, I couldn’t have said it better myself. For some reason, this week felt like the end of a very long marathon. Maybe it’s that we’re nearing the end of summer or maybe it’s the looming return to school. It’s certainly tied to Joy’s return, which is delightful in the extreme but seemed so far away in May.

I remember my dad telling me that time grows incrementally faster the older we get. I think I was 12. Unfortunately, that very accurate statement rings in my ears every time I watch one of my kids shoot up a pant size. Every accomplishment, like Griff learning to walk even if he looks like a cowboy who’s been on a horse too long, means yet another wave of time flowing over all of us. It makes it easier to understand why parents feel such nostalgia and want to freeze every return to school. The back to school picture on the stoop is rapidly becoming a must have in my mind.

This week, the pre-school activities started: the lists, the shopping, the forms, the enrollment, the play dates. While the kids are almost as excited as we are, it’s bittersweet. As we watch them play, we wince when they fall or do something socially awkward. They spend so many hours away from us in the classroom and on the playground. Who are they when we’re not there? Which phrases that we’ve repeatedly said come out of their mouths, and will we be proud of them if we hear about them later? Tess and Remy have both drop some doozies this week that I wish I could help them stuff back in.

Still, as they help Griff downstairs and snuggle Lilou when she bumps her head, I have to believe we’re raising good kids. Despite the rough moments on days with no naps, they watch out for each other and have a great capacity for kindness.

So bring on the school year! Our village is energized and in sync. We are ready to keep raising awesome humans, one day at a time.

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