8 Hours. 9 Months. 2 Years. A Lifetime.

My little man starts his second year of preschool tomorrow. I can hardly believe it. This summer has flown by; the fall leaves will soon start to color our yard, and before I know it, he’ll be rolling around in a blanket of snow, mesmerized by the beauty of a falling snowflake. Nature’s seasons seem more alive and meaningful since becoming a mom, just as the passing of time seems to be accelerated.

8 hours a week.

That’s how long I’ll be apart from him once he starts preschool. While I know that it’s a miniscule amount of the time compared to the hours I have with him, my heart aches a bit knowing that I won’t be there to see the joy in his eyes as he plays with his classmates and teachers, his keen interest in a new book, or his little hands as they create a work of art that will soon be proudly displayed in our home.

9 months.

If these next 9 months are anything like last year’s, I’ll see tremendous growth in my little man. Perhaps not the five inches he grew during his first year of preschool, but surely the further blossoming of his personality, the expanding of his world, his burgeoning self-confidence. He’ll develop new likes and dislikes, new friendships, new capabilities, new habits, and new expectations of himself, his surroundings, his parents. And I will grow with him.

2 years.

In two years the little man who made me mom, will start kindergarten: an adventure that will hopefully fill his world with great and exciting growth for many, many years to come. These next two years will undoubtedly serve many purposes, one of which will be to prepare us both as he takes steps towards becoming an independent, self-reliant and self-possessed person.

 A lifetime.

Yes, the seasons of life are certainly more alive and meaningful now that I am a mom. There’s so much about the changes brought upon by the passing of time that had not resonated with me until I began seeing my babies grow, and change, and develop. And thanks to them, I get to do the same. I grow by their side, learning from them, listening to them question, explore, and examine their world.

The beginning of this school year is so much more than a return to lunchboxes and backpacks; it’s a reminder that life is in constant flux, and for as tightly as I may want to hold on to summer, the seasons that follow and precede will provide a lifetime of beautiful moments.