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This week was an emotional week for me — seeing kids heading back to school.

My children aren’t ready for classes just yet, but it's amazing how looking at friends' first day photos of their kids on Facebook can really find you stuck in your head — wondering what it is going to be like to let go of your childrens' hands that first day, and how it will all turn out for them in the end.

I have some great memories of elementary school — rounds of Heads Up 7up, trading fuzzy stickers for oilies whenever I had the chance, and navigating the library through the Dewey Decimal System.

I spent hours reading C.S. Lewis novels and learning how to play the ukulele.

Then of course there are some not so great memories — my first detention, realizing not everyone wanted to be my friend, and that terrible smell wafting down the hallway from a locker containing that rotten banana, science project thing everyone does.

I had at least one favourite teacher and I want to say book reports were by far my favourite homework assignments.

It makes me really sad to think about my innocent little babies walking down the hallways of school, but it also makes me excited to think about what they will learn, and see them grow into their roles — taking the future by storm so to speak.

Because that’s what children are — the future.

It seems cliché to say as much, but it’s one of those ‘bigger picture’ thoughts.

You might see ‘those’ children wearing their backpacks, holding up traffic, or taking your spot at the Starbucks drive thru.

You watch them run around like animals at recess, and you question their intelligence when you see what new fad is running rampant on social media.

And of course then there is the bias that comes with children of your own. You want the best for YOUR children, and maybe your friend’s children, but then you aren’t as concerned with the rest — why should you be?

I know it’s hard to think about or remember, but the world is so much bigger than our individual bubbles, and although we will always be concerned first and foremost with those closest to us, we can’t deny that we aren’t all interconnected.

It’s a domino effect in life.

And there is a lot of really interesting things going on in the world today, and sometimes I catch myself really wondering what it would be like to be a young person in 2018, and how school (if I referred to it as a person), is doing at playing keep up?

And as much as I want to be concerned with only my own bubble most of the time, I have to remember that each and every young person is going to have a big effect on my life, and my children’s lives in the near future.

They are going to be an integral part of countless communities, and they may trade in that back pack for a cure for cancer — or maybe they will just simply be decent and helpful human beings.

The future comes quickly, and so does each new school year. 

— Becky Mann is a 30-something, red haired, mother of two, trying to navigate this life as best she can. She enjoys talking to people and discovering their stories. Still trying to balance her personal and professional life, she juggles work and play. In her spare time Becky can be found visiting with friends, spending time with her family and saving time by reading while walking, She knows there is so much more to come and is looking forward to the continued adventure.

News from © iNFOnews, 2018