Have To

Sometimes its so hard to watch your babies grow up. Sometimes you want to scream at them to grow up faster and start sleeping in. But today I was close to tears as I watched Josie put on a brave face and tell her brother, "Don't worry, Owen. I just go to school a little while and then I be right back."

Leaving your family is inherently unnatural. But if I don't take her to school now, it will only get harder. Preschool is practice for regular school that is practice for college that is practice for moving hundreds of miles away and only seeing your family every so often.

When Josie tells me she doesn't want to go to school, she doesn't get mad. She doesn't cry. She doesn't scream and she doesn't say that she won't go. But sure enough every few days and on school days every few hours she calmly mentions, "Mom, I don't want to go to school." And then I say, "you have to go and you always have fun." And then she says, "okay" in such a pathetic voice that I just want to pick her up and hold her until I have to let her go.