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Walking Into a Good New Adventure

Took a walk on the beach with this one today. It wasn’t supposed to be a mushy, heartfelt moment; I just asked if anyone wanted to take one more walk before we checked out and headed home, and he said yes.

It was a gorgeous day and the breeze along the water felt amazing. I could have walked for hours. But we only had time for a short walk, so I tried to relish it.

The conversation was casual.

I just wanted to chat and listen and not let my frantic brain jump ahead to the 518 topics I know we’ll have to cover in the next few years.

He’s starting high school this week. Whew. Big moments ahead. But I tried to keep it light. We talked about his friends and which ones were going to be in which of his classes, and where he wanted me to drop him off in the morning, and if he was getting excited about his baseball evaluations next weekend.

He didn’t seem to mind that he was walking with his mom. Or that I asked to take a picture with him. Or that I got teary as we made our way back to the wooden walkway leading to our hotel. He knows I’m a crier, so he just smiled and said, “It’s gonna be good.”

He reassured ME. Funny how roles reverse as these sweet beings mature.

I reassured him the day before kindergarten and the day before middle school. Today, I was the one taking a deep breath, nodding my head, and saying, “I know, I know.”

And I do. I know it’s gonna be good. I know he’s gonna learn and grow and make amazing memories (and some mistakes) and his next four years are going to lead to more and more incredible life adventures down the road.

I know it’s gonna be good.

I also know when I brought this tiny, beautiful baby boy home (wasn’t it just yesterday?!) and imagined him in high school, I thought it was so. far. away.

But it’s here.

And it’s exciting. And it’s scary. And it’s hard. And it’s painful.And yes, yes, it’s good.

This post originally appeared on 39ish Life.

Dana Kamp is the founder and content creator of 39ish Life, a freelance writer and editor, and an aspiring children’s book author. Her work has been featured on TODAY Parents, Perfection Pending,That’s Inappropriate, Sunshine and Hurricanes, Parenting Teens and Tweens, and in the anthology “The Unofficial Guide to Surviving Life With Boys.” She lives in Florida with her hot husband and their four awesome boys. You can find her on Facebook.

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