Here at the start of the new school year many people are focused on how their kids or others’ kids have grown.  We get excited to see all the back-to-school pictures and hear the latest updates on what “Suzy” or “Johnny” are doing at school this year.  Yet, do we think much about how we are growing in the process?

I don’t know about you, but when I was a young person, I thought adults already had it all together and knew what they were doing.  Being an adult myself has been an awakening to the truth that we all learn as we go.  Each phase our children face brings a new experience to each of us.  Albeit, some of us have been better prepared than others, depending on our life circumstances and how well our own parents did, but no matter, we, as individuals, face uncharted waters with each new step our children take in their lives.

For me, this means that this fall will be very different from any our family has ever known.  Two of my children are now young adults and will be in college while I am also in graduate school.  Our third child is a teen and has embarked on her own new journey to learn a trade, thus going to a different school and no longer participating in a sports team at her home high school.  We will be down to three living at home, with no sporting events or practices that we absolutely need to attend.

I have no idea how this will all play out.  I know there will be more ups and downs in the exciting times that lie ahead. But somehow I hope I can convey to my children that I’m still learning and growing myself.  We’re in this together.  I also pray that they can learn from my mistakes along the way.