Lately, I’ve been watching (and reading) the “Bridgerton” series on repeat. Since romance isn’t my usual genre choice, I’ve assumed that my obsession with the Regency-era drama is related to some need to escape the realities that flood our screens: a presidential election year, wars and debates about wars, inflation, a divided nation.
But as the 2024-25 school year cartwheeled into our summer, slicing it in half, I realized that my compulsive indulging is also linked to another anxiety lurking just beneath the surface.
My son Sol, the first and only child to whom I’ve given birth, is preparing to fly the nest. My son, that bright-eyed baby who was born on a Saturday night in 2007 at Good Samaritan Hospital in Downtown L.A., is now a high school senior.
As I dropped Sol off at school the morning of Aug. 12, I asked him if I could take a photograph of him in front of his school. He rolled his eyes to the top of his head.
“Come on,” I whined. “Put yourself in your parents’ shoes. This is historical.”
“Alright,” Sol said. “But just snap it real fast as I’m walking in.”
“Will you turn around and give a smile or a thumbs-up?” I asked, knowing the answer.
“Nope,” he promised.
And so, from the driver’s seat of my car, I aimed my cell at his retreating back and clicked. Within seconds, his tall and lanky frame folded into the crowd — and then was gone.
I drove to a side street, parked the car and texted my husband the photo of our son’s back. “He’s off!” I wrote. Because I had taken the day off, I drove to Venice Beach to let the ocean’s waves mirror my emotional ones. As I journaled and fawned over photos from Sol’s baby, toddler, preschool, elementary, middle and high school years, I fondly recalled his milestones and accomplishments.
But I also remembered our parental worries: What is the best preschool we can afford? Should we put him in speech therapy at 2, or is that too young? If private school is out of reach, the neighborhood school is struggling and charter schools are embroiled in an ongoing battle with public schools, what is the right option for our child? These philosophical and practical quandaries mingled with smaller (but no less pressing) concerns about bullying, school lunches, afterschool programs and more.
The language of parenting deserves to be rooted in our collective consciousness. We should never feel alone while navigating the nuances of caretaking and educating our children. Whether your children were just born (I started calling preschools when Sol was still in utero!), have just entered preschool or are heading for college, we put together our September/October education and enrichment magazine with you in mind.
Stories in this issue explore preschool teaching philosophies, parent-teacher communication strategies, career and support options for neurodiverse students, college admissions essay writing tips and more, including an exciting calendar of fall events. Don’t forget to have fun this school year.
It really will be over before you know it.
