Closing the chapter on junior school

That is it, today is Ethan’s last day in junior school and our last day as a family with a child in junior school. Come September both of them will be in high school and be on the last stretch of their school journey in life.

I know it is part of life and growing up but it feels like this chapter has come to a close really quickly. It feels as though we’ve blinked and they have gone from their first day in pre-school to pre-teens and independent. Before we know it we are going to be at the point of the children looking at uni spaces and house purchases.

I’m not ready.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the age they are at now. They are independent and confident in the things they do. At their age, they can walk home after school happily with their friends and my worry levels are a little less (though it never goes!). They don’t rely on me for everything, however, they are at an age where they still want their mum.

The move to high school just seems so big, especially for Ethan. He is a June baby, whereas Kayleigh is an October baby. There feels like a bigger jump for him than Kayleigh.

He is going to love every minute of it though, moving to high school has so much to offer children. From more discovery on the lessons they already love to a whole new curriculum on lessons that they have never had before. The school Ethan is going to is now offering construction as a GCSE for the children who have an interest in the building career.

Then there are the extra activities they offer such as sports clubs, STEM groups, Art clubs and the trips coming up. They are both off to America next year for a skiing trip that includes a day trip to New York, visiting the Empire State Building, dinner in Times Square and so many other amazing things. It is going to be a once in a lifetime trip for them both but again will be another big step for us all as we very rarely stay away from each other overnight. In fact, I think the last time we have a child-free night was back in 2013!

As this chapter closes though we have to realise how lucky we have been through this all. Yes, they have had a tough 18 months whilst COVID came through however from start to beginning they have both learnt so much such as how to read, count and just interact. The social skills they have learnt over the last 7 years will be able to help them some much during the years coming.

If you have a child starting their high school journey, don’t panic. It may feel like the biggest and scariest journey you have come across as a parent and you may want to have a good cry even just thinking about it. Just know that you are not alone and it is completely normal. Our children might not understand why we ask them to check in when they get to school safely or why we lecture them on their journeys home and road safety. But just know that you have done an amazing job at raising them from the little baby to this mini adult.

Now as parents though, we have to learn to let go of that little bit of the reins and let our children learn to navigate the challenges that come their way in the coming weeks and months. This doesn’t mean you don’t care or don’t want to get involved, it just means you are letting them learn how to deal with things that life may throw at them, whilst you stand behind backing them every step of the way.