It's that time of year again. Summer is winding down, and the new school year is starting. Like last year, my daughter will be the first to leave for school. Tomorrow, she will move into an apartment with two of her friends.
For the last couple of months, we have been shopping and preparing for her move. Since Amazon Prime Day, we have made purchases for her new home. Some weeks, we go without any purchases, but then other days, we put in a few Amazon orders in an hour.
This year, the shopping experience has been different from living on campus. In one of my conversations with my daughter, I inquired if she had packed toilet paper, napkins, and paper towels. I could tell she didn't by the way she looked at me. She forgot that living in an apartment would require her to own the basic necessities versus expecting to see them freely available in her dorm. Since then, we have created a few more checklists. She drafted a spreadsheet with her friends to include everyday essentials like trash bags, light bulbs, toilet cleaners, dish soap, and sponges—items she normally doesn't need to consider.
My husband and I have been going through the motions for the last few weeks, but not the emotions. When my daughter said she would be moving out in a week, it hit my heart like a ton of bricks. I absolutely loved having our kids at home this summer. Even though it was busy with activities and functions, they always made time for each other. The best is when I find them chatting away in my oldest son's room. Or when my husband and I have one-on-one chats with each child. I'm so thankful to the Lord for the connection my husband and I have with our kids and the one they have with one another.
I think our family's bond was developed during the homeschool years. If I had remained working outside of the home and didn't homeschool our children, we would not have our relational relationship. It would've been more transactional. We would have had more financial resources to take all the vacations and buy our children whatever they desired; however, I wonder if we would have a Godly home versus just a Christian home.
My husband and I pray together when he drops me off at work, and we always pray our children's roots go deep as their wings go wide. It's definitely bittersweet to be in this stage of life with our children, but we would have it no other way.
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