Only a couple days late but were headed back to school. We've been a bit quiet over here as we've been getting ready for a new school year and lots of new chapters for the kiddos.
Our oldest, Te'Hiva is finishing her last year at college and living at home while she completes her year internship only 10 minutes from home. She is also balancing a full time school schedule through online courses and will be graduating in May. She found something she's beyond excited to be doing which is learning everything and anything to do with administrating, patient care, management etc. in a nursing home. It's exciting to see her so excited to head to work, learning new things in a field she loves. Less than one year and she'll be headed into her career!
Our second one, Auhea is adjusting to motherhood and we've been able to see her transform into a new person...a parent. That process has been pretty incredible to watch. I feel like she has tapped into a whole new version of herself and has stepped into this role effortlessly. Her apartment is only ten minutes away so we are fortunate to have already been able to help with Kingston (who just turned 1 month) when she needs us. I understand why people enjoy being grandparents, not only do you get the fun parts but you get to watch your child turn into a new person.
Our third, Sianava is headed into his Sophomore year at high school and is going to get his temps this week which is going to be a whole new chapter for him. Since he turned 14 he got a job working at Fireside Theatre as a bus boy and has already learned so many life skills and people skills that he has made leaps and bounds since he started. Now he's saving for a car that he can buy before he turns 16 in March. Crazy!
Our youngest, Harlo has decided to head back to school after two years of being homeschooled. We had been talking about whether or not we would continue to Homeschool for her 5th grade year for awhile now. It's the last year in elementary school that her class would be together before being dispersed into middle school so since missing her friends was the one thing she missed when being homeschooled we chose to not miss the chance. The last two years we have been focusing on her confidence, learning new things, experiencing small adventures and I can say she has grown into her own.
Since she started going to school in 4K almost everyday we would experience major anxiety going to school. This continued all the way through 2nd grade which made it incredibly painful everyday. At several points she would chase our car after dropping her off at school and I knew we needed to try something different. When we first talked about Homeschooling is was so far from our vocabulary and my mental state that I wasn't sure I could do it. After realizing how much she struggled with anxiety I knew we weren't using the right tools or at least not accessing what she needed to help her. This ended up being the focus for these last couple years, building her confidence to try new things, understanding it's not always going to be easy and sometimes scary isn't a bad thing but offers room to grow.
This last week I think I was experiencing a bit of anxiety since I wasn't sure how drop off was going to go. I wasn't sure if I was going to have to walk her in, or if she would be fine all the way to the school and then panic would set in. Needless to say she was so excited she ran right in and she came home elated. I knew that we did the right thing, she was ready.
Being able to Homeschool Harlo for two years was a blessing and an experience. It forced me to get uncomfortable and push my boundaries of anything I thought I was capable of. It helped me connect to her and work on developing skills that I didn't have at that age. I know confidence is something that will always need to be built upon and her anxiousness may creep out every now and then however I feel we have tackled the worst of it. I realize this wasn't a luxury I had with the younger ones and to be quite honest I don't think I could have mentally taken on more than one child (bless you parents who have multiples). It was one of the most rewarding experience but also one of the more challenging. Harlo and I were around each other all day, everyday and as two Gemini's I have learned where that can be a blessing and a curse!
I'm not sure what we'll do past 5th grade or that our Homeschooling days are over however for this year they are. I'm happy to pass the baton to her teacher and appreciate teachers in a whole new manner. So with that said, all the kids are on their adventures for the year and this mama is headed back to work full time in the gym and focusing on me time!
Comments