First Days, Operas & Chocolate

First Day of School!

It typically looks something like this, right? My daughter, Vivian, meeting her preschool teacher for the first time. All wide eyed and wonder filled.

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Less, often, it looks like this: my 15 year old daughter and her magnificent cello walking out the door. But this year, Lorien had her first day at school. As a sophomore.

We were always open minded about school: public, private, home or boarding. At any time, we felt we would choose what worked best for our family. For the past 13 years, that has meant homeschool.

Freedom to travel at off seasons (like our grand RV trip to the deserts right now!), flexibility with therapists and specialists (like when Leighton was learning to speak with Apraxia), and less time committed to the shuttle service of a large family (like how my portrait business is my business - not driving ;-) all meant that homeschool worked best for us.

But private lessons in cello only supply part of musical education and experience. While Lorien did play in concerts with the West Des Moines school district, she was not involved in the orchestra overall, and we started to look at dual enrolling in the spring of 2020. We considered letting her dual enroll as a freshman and then… well, for lots of reasons, we just held off last fall.

The bonus to waiting an extra year? She can drive herself with her school permit!

Oh wait. She can drive herself with a school permit.

That first day of school pales in comparison to the first time behind the wheel!

She is only there for one class - orchestra - but the drive back and forth is the same for one class or eight...

But we can’t slow time down. We can’t make childhood last any longer. (Seriously, it is what makes my job as a portrait artist so emotional!)

So I am choosing to celebrate! I will delight in taking her to her first opera at the Des Moines Metro Opera. (Sweeney Todd – it was breathtaking!)

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I will giggle that she wore my high school senior prom dress to it (see, I was always wearing fancy dresses!), and be amazed at the artistic, musical loving, retro-clothes wearing, crested gecko infatuated young woman she has become.

I’ll be thankful she currently drives a bit on the slow side (seriously, how am I her mother!)

And I’ll make her drinking chocolate after her first day of orchestra, just because it is her favorite, even though it was the hottest day of the year! (Wait... definitely my kid there!)

She may always have first days on her own unique timeline, live more cautiously than I do, and be taller... but she is my child. And there is plenty to be thankful for, even on the hardest days (oh, teenage angst...)

What was something you did that was right for you at an unexpected time? I would love to be encouraged by your story!

So here’s to Frist Days, may we all find their joy, even when mixed with uncertainty and risk,

Kat

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