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Nose for News by Sarah Stultz

I’ve been in denial that the end of another school year is almost here.

But at this time next week, it will be the Albert Lea district’s last day for the year, and before I know it my son, Landon, will be heading off to the middle school.

This morning I met my son’s new teacher for the middle school, and on Friday he will be taking part in the fifth-grade graduation.
Where has the time gone?

It will be nice to have Landon in a school just down the street from my work and also pretty close to our home, too, but I’ll be honest — I’m nervous about the transition.

From a young age, Landon has always liked to do things on his own timetable, and at times new things can be a challenge. When they say that children thrive on routine, that’s true for Landon especially, so it will be an adjustment to have him begin a new routine at a new school. I’m praying it will all go smoothly.

Landon has loved school since he went to preschool, and I’m hopeful that same excited feeling will continue all of the remainder of his school years.

It’s scary as a parent knowing he is going to a new school with four times as many students and a new set of teachers. But at the same time I know that if the teachers he has had thus far are any indication, he will be met with the same open arms there at the middle school that he has been met with in preschool and elementary school. I can’t say enough good about the special education teachers Landon has had during his life.

And thankfully, being in the special education room he is in, he is sheltered from some of the cruelties of life that often exist out in the real world.

Yes, he will have other challenges because of his disability, but I’m grateful in many ways that there are other things he will not have to deal with that others his age might have to go through.

Wow, I’m a blubbering mess as I think about all this stuff — and here I am only talking about graduating from elementary school.

Hugs to all the parents out there who are preparing for their child’s graduation from high school. What a great achievement for all of these kiddos and a reminder of all the hard work the children — and the parents — put in over the years to achieve that goal.

Whether your child is in preschool, graduating elementary school or preparing to go to college, take as much time as you can with your child! In the blink of an eye, they will be all grown.

While I may have a few years until Landon is old enough to graduate from high school, I have only six months to go until he’s officially a teenager. That’s a scary thought!

“The point of parenting isn’t to have all the answers before we start out but instead to figure it out on the go as our children grow, because as they do, so will we.” — Bridgett Miller

Sarah Stultz is the managing editor of the Tribune. Her column appears every Wednesday.