The scared-looking grin just about sums it all up
Today is Boy Three's last day at primary. It's a Big Step for us all.I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling unexpectedly wobbly about the whole thing. My first baby stepping up to the next stage and all that.
We've been talking about it, preparing for it, and getting excited about it for months. Why, then, is this such a lump-in-the-throat transition?
Is it because Boy One is leaving the protective shelter of the fantastic Bridge of Weir primary school? I know we have been extraordinarily lucky with the level of support he has had there. But I've no reason to think that the same level of care won't continue at Gryffe High School. It certainly seems that way.
Is it because it only seems like yesterday when the little boy with his brand new uniform and pale face vanished into his classroom for the first time? Possibly. It can hardly seem right that we're all seven years old in a blink.
It certainly isn't because this family is bidding farewell to primary. By the time Boy Three finishes in 2021, I'll have spent 17 years as a primary parent.
Perhaps it's because the next leaving that Boy One comes to will be the one from school to the next thing, to being an adult and going out into the world? It could be. If seven years went by in a jiffy, how fast will the next six go?
Anyhow, it probably doesn't do to dwell on it too much. Just give your primary leavers a huge hug - they'll need it and don't forget the tissues. Good luck.