Closing out a big chapter of life is not always easy. Watching your children grow up so fast, you feel like you have missed so much, no matter how present you are in their lives.

As we begin June, I have had a few chapters close in my life. My husband drove my daughter to school for the last time, and it was my last time driving through the elementary carpool. Next school year, my daughter will be driving and taking the boys with her. How did this happen? I feel like I just entered another universe.

I am that dance mom who is backstage any chance I can get, helping the girls–and I love every minute of it–especially since my daughter requests my presence. Not all girls like their moms helping, so I will gladly continue this role until she graduates. I am also that room mom who is at every function possible and attends weekly chapel with my boys. I’m sad knowing that this will now come to an end. I still joke with the principal that I will borrow a child each year just so I can enjoy my Wednesday morning chapel.

A lot of chapters have closed, but I will just continue with our family motto and “go with the flow.”

While summer begins and we start summer camps or vacations, I have a new driver in my house. What this means, I have no clue. I am still trying to wrap my head around it. I am always the driver on family trips, mainly because my husband works in the passenger seat and I get car sick easily. However, I am going to have to learn to let my daughter take the wheel, take some Dramamine, and enjoy the ride.

I hope you all have a fantastic summer, whether you have a staycation, vacation, travel overseas, or send your child to camp and have some quiet time. We all survived another year of school and it’s time to take a break.

Happy summer!

This article was originally published in June 2024.