Please come on down.....

The last week of school proved a bittersweet time for the kids. While they were happy to turn in textbooks, toss a years worth of homework and take their yearbooks-- they weren't so happy to turn friends loose, toss away several years of friendship and say "arrevederci" to buddies moving away to the far reaches of the planet.

I did see a smile or two flicker across their faces as they were called down from the outdoor theater seating to receive some well deserved awards. Natalie racked up the most awards including the MATH award. She really struggled and worked hard in class this past school year and it paid off.

Trevor also got a few awards in tough AP classes and made high honor role, but the one I was most pleased about was the one he received in his LEAST favorite class: Italian. He was in an Italian native class writing papers on Mussolini and reading Italian literature, like Dante and giving oral presentations on composers like Verdi. His teacher is giving Trevor the Italian "baci" kiss on the cheek in recognition of his hard work.

Brendan Boy received the highest honor, the Principal honors and received the Excellency Award signed by President Obama. Brendan is a smart kid but he also puts the time in studying and was called down several times for the classes he excelled in.

Guys at my work were teasing me about my"over-achieving kids," but I feel truly blessed not to have had to "come on down" to the principals or councilor's office to talk about bad behavior or incomplete homework or lost potential, and that is the greatest AWARD that any parent can receive. There are some aspects of the teenage years that I won't mind saying goodbye to, but it is also a bittersweet time because while you want them to grow up to be healthy, contributing, capable adults, saying goodbye to your babies is one of the toughest goodbyes EVER!