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“School’s starting! 🙏🏻Hallelujah!”
“Summer’s over! 😢I’m so sad!”

Where do you land on the Summer vs. School excitement scale?
It’s different for all of us moms.
I tend to swing back and forth between looking forward to more of a schedule and dreading more of a schedule.

Summers are pretty free around the Hall house.
Chores…maybe.
Practice piano…rarely.
Lacrosse Camp, Theater Camp, real Camp…can’t wait.
Season passes to the amusement park and swimming pools…for sure.

I love the relaxed life.
The hanging with family and friends.
The freedom.
And I love not having people tell me what to do each day (i.e. homework).

But then I love school, too.
I love the structure of a regular bed time.
I love the steadiness of daily jobs before school.
I love that we can read our scriptures and say our prayers more consistently in the mornings.
I love Coleman having a place to go all day and tasks to complete.
I love less time for YouTube.
I love football practice taking up evenings and requiring exercise.
I love the socialness of school.

Coleman gets to do seventh grade. He thinks it’s going to be the greatest experience of his life!🙌🏻
New school. Out of elementary and into junior high. Riding the bus. Multiple teachers. Better cafeteria lunch (so they say).
New experiences are coming his way. It’s going to be SO good!
That’s what he’s telling himself. He believes that he is going to love it.

Most of his friends are excited. But some are nervous, too. All the newness. All the bigness. It feels like a lot.
It’s not a problem, though.
It’s just a feeling.
A feeling meant to be felt. Experienced. 
Maybe you get to be the mom who says something like this: “Yeah, you feel nervous about seventh grade. I get it. It’s ok to feel nervous and still do the thing. I’m kind of nervous, too.”

Whatever you are thinking about summer being over. It’s exactly right.
Whatever you think about school starting. That’s right, too.
Feel the feelings, mom.
They’re all ok.
And our kids can feel their feelings, too.
No judgment. Just feel it, kids.
Maybe take some breaths.
Just be nervous.
Or let out a cheer of joy!
It’s all ok.💙✊🏻