It’s that time of year again when parents, teachers, and children alike are gearing up for back-to-school.

Where we live, public schools have already started.

There are school buses everywhere, which means the traffic is bad again, and it’s back to reality.

Our kids will start school again next week.

It’s going to be strange for us this year because we’re only going to have two kids at home.

For some, that may not be strange at all. But when you’ve had six kids, two seems like a very small number.

This season of our life is different than any other season. Some things are wonderful, and other things are a little bit harder.

This brings me to the very first lesson back to school teaches us.

Seasons Will Always Change

Summer has been great for us. It’s been relaxing while still trying to get as much work done as I can.

But for the kids, next week is going to be the shocker.

I think this is true of every kid when they go back to school.

During the summer, we’re very lenient on bedtimes and wake-up times.

But once school starts, all of a sudden, we have to go right back to an extreme schedule.

Luckily, my kids have to get up at 7:00 and no earlier than that. But it still becomes a very long day for them.

They go to school from 8:45-3:15, and then they have their after-school activities. When they get home, they then have their responsibilities at home.

I know, without a doubt, they are dreading parts of their day.

But I also know that this is the season of their lives where they get to learn and grow and become the people they were meant to be.

Yes, some things are going to be hard. But there are also wonderful opportunities that they are going to look back on with so much gratitude for the journey.

We all have seasons that mold and shape us into who we’re meant to be.

The trick is to embrace those seasons when they come, push through the hard, learn the lessons we need to learn, and be grateful for every single one of them.

Face Each New Opportunity with Courage

The other day, I had to bring my youngest daughter up to campus because she is doing some volunteer work for the school.

It was her first time back on campus since school ended in June. She was really nervous about going back on campus.

While she was there, she was just fine. But it’s that anticipation of the unknown that can be really scary.

A new year of school means new teachers, new classmates, and new courses.

And even though she is very familiar with the campus and has been there for four years now, this fifth year is still new.

It’s still another chapter and another new beginning.

As I watch my children bravely face all the new beginnings that back to school brings, I am reminded of how courageous they truly are.

We all need to be courageous like that in our lives.

Whatever we have in front of us, I hope we face it with as much courage as our children have when they face their first day of school again and again.

Everything Happens One Step at a Time

My kids are already psyching themselves up for all the work they are going to have to do, and school hasn’t even started yet.

They are dreading getting up and trying to figure out how they are going to fit everything into their day.

But they’ll make it happen, just like they do every year.

It happens by getting out of bed and taking one step at a time.

We went back to school shopping today. And getting notebooks and backpacks and pencils and all the things that come with it is a lot of stuff to get. It’s also a lot of money.

I can see how the kids get nervous because there’s so much to do.

They have to organize their stuff, make sure they have everything, and make sure they’ve finished their summer homework.

But still, everything happens one step at a time.

If we can just focus on our next right step, we can let go of the stress of trying to think ten steps ahead.

Learning to do what we can do today and letting go of the rest is a good practice for all of us.

Everyone Does Things Differently—and That’s Okay

I don’t know if anyone else can relate, but when it comes to summer homework, my kids are still finishing it.

Well, actually, my daughter has finished all of hers. But my son is still finishing his.

They have the whole summer to do it, and they wait until the last week to finish it.

The way they see it is that it’s not really summer if you’re doing homework.

I get it. And although I wouldn’t do it that way, it works for them, and they still get it done.

As a parent, I have learned that it’s important for me to let my kids do things their own way without telling them how I would do it.

It’s important that they become good humans. And in order for that to happen, they have to learn how to be their own person.

Of course, this also means that they have to live with the consequences of their actions. But that’s a really important part of their learning and growth.

We need to allow people to do things in their own way. This gives them the needed space to grow.

Treasure the Moments

When the kids were younger, I really looked forward to school starting so I could have some quality time to myself.

But now that they are older, I like that they are home.

It’s a little sad to me when they go back to school because I know we’re approaching the finish line.

We’re almost to the point where we will be empty nesters in just three years’ time.

I say that, but I’m going to assume that one child will come back at some point in time because that’s just what happens.

But you still feel that moment of sadness when they start a new grade.

I’m excited for them but also sad that it’s one less year that I get to have them at home.

It helps me remember to treasure the moments we do have—because they go so fast.

We’re All In This Together

For all the parents out there who are sending their kids back to school, know that we’re all going through this together.

We’re all getting the back-to-school gear and spending way more money than we want to.

We’re all preparing our kids to get up in the morning and make it to school on time.

We’re all packing lunches and waving goodbye.

We’re all doing all the things we do to make sure our kids have a great year and an amazing education.

And as our children are learning the lessons they need to learn to be good humans, we are learning important lessons right alongside them.

We are all in this thing called life together.

And together, we’re going to make it a great year.