to my children

i'm not sure if you are ready
i'm not sure if i'm ready
but in a few days we'll set the alarms and pick out the clothes and pack the backpacks 
and off you'll go....
5th grade for Owen
Kindergarten for Addie

have i prepared you enough
have i babied you too much
am i a helicopter parent
am i guiding you in the way
have i done all i can do???

and i'll be honest i'm scared and i am going to worry about you
what will you do when others are being mean?  will you laugh too?  
will you stand up for others the way i've taught you too?
what will you do when things get hard?  will you give up?  will you keep going?
who will you go to when you need a hug, a squishy arm, or an extra snack?
will you make the right decision of who to be friends with?  
will you be pressured to like girls?
will you tell them you need to go to the bathroom?

but tears and fears aren't all i feel

i'm so excited for you!
you are going to learn so much
you are going to make great friends
you are going to have fabulous teachers who are going to love you
you are going to make mistakes and learn from them
you are going to do awesome things 
and in a blink of an eye this part of your journey will end and new journeys will begin

and i promise 
i'll always love you
i'll always be proud of you
i'll always be your biggest fan and your toughest critic
i'll pray for you
i'll hold you when you cry and always laugh at your jokes

because you are going to do amazing things
i know 
God has big plans for you!