A Bright Horizons Mom

This morning I cried as I helped my not-so-baby boy tie his shoes. I watched him as he gave his dad extra hugs and kisses as if he wasn't going to see him at school in an hour. We said goodbye and then we were on our way. "Off to school", he said as we headed out of our neighborhood and drove to school.

The three mile trip is getting shorter. It has been for almost a month now. Even in morning traffic, the minutes are going by too fast. When we pulled up to the first red light, I looked in the rear view mirror and saw his smiling face and the tears started again. This time I couldn't stop them. Instead of our usual dance party in the car on the way to school, I was crying and trying not to be loud because he usually asks me if I'm okay and offers me a tissue. I didn't want him to see me sad at the start of the day.

The truth is that I never thought I would be a part of this club. I never in a million years thought that I would be blessed with the opportunity to send my son to the best preschool and get a head start with his education. I never thought I would be a BH Mom.

Bright Horizons has been a big part of my family's life for over a decade. My husband and I both started our teaching careers at Bright Horizons. We began our adult lives together as employees and then transitioned into married life and parenthood a few years later. We celebrated by having one of three baby showers at Bright Horizons RCC and I am still overwhelmed by the memories of that day as parents, students, staff and friends came together to celebrate a baby that many anxiously waited to meet. We have celebrated so many life changes and accomplishments at RCC which makes it that much harder.

Fast forward to my son's first day at RCC. I wasn't sure I was ready. I wasn't sure he was ready. But if my son was going to thrive and learn in a place without me, it would be here. It would be in the place where his father and I worked side by side and grew up together. It would be in a place we were familiar with and trusted the teachers to care for our son just as we do.

As I sit here, nearly three years later, and write these words, I am just as overwhelmed. The tears have in fact begun to flow again and I am both happy and sad. I am happy with the education, love and support my son has received from the Bright Horizons RCC family. Our family. There is a reason that I only recommend Bright Horizons to my doula clients: it's because I know they are the absolute best. Period.

I am sad because this is the end. This is the end of what we know. In the Fall, our son will be entering new territory as a Kindergartner. As parents, my husband and I will also be entering a new world of unknown. And while I am excited that my son is prepared and ready, it is bittersweet for me. He is leaving Bright Horizons to build upon the lessons that he has learned. I will be forever grateful for everything that RCC has given him and us as a family.

To Brandi and the RCC staff, thank you for making this so hard. Thank you for preparing my son for the world. Thank you for living up to your motto and providing a great place for a childhood. Thank you for being our family and thank you for making me a BH Mom.

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I decided to go ahead and clean out Preston's cubby today as I will probably be too emotional to do it on Friday. How much do you want to bet that he will need a back up shirt tomorrow just because I took them all home today?