The 10th Day of 10th Grade has Come and Gone

The school year is in full swing but this year, I don’t have nearly as much photo evidence as usual. This is partly because I am trying to give my kids their space as they adjust to new routines and more responsibilities, and partly because they need pretty minimal assistance in the morning and I’m not there to witness the majority of their day. It feels like, as the kids get older, I have more to worry about, but less to do.

Mike drives Harlow to school every morning and Mazzy no longer wants me to walk her to the subway, so I get to have the strange sensation of relaxing in my pajamas as both children exit our home without my help. Sometimes Mazzy will yell “bye!” from the doorway (her room is right next to our front door) and I find myself running from the kitchen, down the hall, and opening the front door to yell “bye!” to her back as she walks to the elevator, just so I can have a last visual of her before she leaves for the day.

Mazzy has been navigating the city on her own for awhile now and this year, Harlow is starting to do things on her own around the vicinity of our apartment too. For example, I let Harlow pick up her own take-out sushi when she needs to eat dinner before dance and I’ve let her walk over to the local coffee shop to meet up with friends on her own. I don’t allow Harlow to take the subway yet, but she’s constantly trying to stretch what she can do in the few block radius around our apartment. The other day, I was walking the dog and passed Harlow on the street carrying a huge grocery bag. Apparently, she noticed we were out of strawberries and mini carrots and went to buy them herself. I mean, it’s fantastic that she took on that responsibility without me asking, but also, it’s a little jarring to suddenly be deemed SO UNNECESSARY.