back to school

Back to school! August is the month for kids to board yellow buses and to be transported away from their families out into the world. I have no children going back to school this year, but I have had more back to school conversations than ever before. Ironic, isn’t it? 

August becomes a busy month for moms and dads as parents prepare children for school by gathering all the needed school supplies and clothes before taking the obligatory first day of school photo and sending our precious kids off to be taught and influenced by people we don’t know that well. 

My Daughter After Her First Day Of School 2007

One middle school bus ride proved to be much different than the rest for me. I was a goody-goody, so the bus driver put me in the backseat right in the middle of all of the mischievous boys. One of those mischievous boys couldn’t be contained so easily. Part way through the year, Mr. Yinger, my bus driver, moved him to the very front seat to keep an eye on him. He was quite the troublemaker. 

After a year of bus rides, it was time to take our last trip. I’m certain bus rules were much less strict four decades ago because Mr. Yinger agreed to let us have a water battle on the bus to celebrate the last day of school. Water was flying everywhere as we bumped down the road dropping eager middle schoolers off for a summer of freedom. Then we ran out of water to use. 

So, empty water bottles went flying through the air landing on squealing targets. Do you see where this is going? There’s a phrase that I think every mother has said, “It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt.” Well, someone got hurt. It was me. The troublemaker in the front seat threw a not so empty water bottle and it hit me square on the bridge of my nose. And wow did it hurt! I saw stars (either real or imagined, I don’t quite remember) and screamed in pain. The fun stopped at that moment and the remaining passengers were dropped off in near silence. 

I know my mom was furious, overprotective, and worried about the damage to my nose, but I survived just fine. I was a pretty resilient kid with a summer full of plans. I was mad at the troublemaker and had to work through that anger and prepare for another year of bus rides with him. And I did, because I had a good foundation. 

My mom couldn’t protect me from the flying water bottle and we can’t protect our kids and grandkids every second of the day. We can’t be with them all the time. We can’t always keep them safe from attacks on their physical and emotional well-being. But part of building our legacy is giving our children and grandchildren the foundation they need to fend for themselves when we can’t be there. 

It’s our job as parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles to prepare the children in our family to face the world. And anything that comes at them. 

Proverbs 22:6 says, “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” 

Starting kids off in the way they should go doesn’t just mean getting them ready for school to learn more things. New school outfits are cute and big bus rides are new and exciting but kids face infinitely more complex challenges than we faced at their age. If I have learned one thing over the years of raising my children, it’s to ask about their well-being rather than assume because their foundation is strong that they are strong too.  

Our children and grandchildren are our legacy. If we really believe that, let’s take the time to build them up, prepare them for the world, and make sure they have what they need to endure. A strong foundation and consistent communication give them what they need. Not just this year, but for the rest of their lives.

Searching for wisdom and asking for grace,

Jody