There are some times that the kids say something, and I feel just gutted. Today at dinner, as we had been talking about friends who were far away, she mused thusly...
"You know how when you move, you think when you're saying goodbye to your friends, that you'll see them again, sometime, in the future? But what if you knew at the time that you wouldn't? What if I had known at the time, that the sleepover at [her friend's] house was going to be the last time I saw her...ever."
Deep feelings...deep thinking... and ouch! for me. I've been doing lots of volunteering for the parent group at school, and it has me thinking more about how kids are experiencing their lives. We've asked a lot of them, and they've been tough, and teary, and appreciative, and angry...and their memories are even bigger, if an adult takes the perspective that there are fewer, there's an argument that lack of emotional experience combined with fewer memories makes each one more significant?!!
I've put together a blog for the school community, and one of the things I'm happiest about in it, is that there's a language toggle. I write in English, and for those families who've expatriated this direction, there is still access to what's happening at school when they flip to their language of choice. I remember too well being the language "outsider" even though ours was a gentle introduction because there were so many English speakers at the school.
A dad was speaking with his son, and I wanted to give him the welcome card, so he could find the blog and translate it. We needed the son to translate just that little bit! He's a Kindergarten kid!!! With so many international families at the school, I hope that this helps them make the connections that I was able to make while we were the expats.
And I'll just end with this--mobility is great, and it's difficult. Good thing for hugs and Skype, because sometimes the sleepover will be the last time little friends are together.
Cheers and chao...
"You know how when you move, you think when you're saying goodbye to your friends, that you'll see them again, sometime, in the future? But what if you knew at the time that you wouldn't? What if I had known at the time, that the sleepover at [her friend's] house was going to be the last time I saw her...ever."
Deep feelings...deep thinking... and ouch! for me. I've been doing lots of volunteering for the parent group at school, and it has me thinking more about how kids are experiencing their lives. We've asked a lot of them, and they've been tough, and teary, and appreciative, and angry...and their memories are even bigger, if an adult takes the perspective that there are fewer, there's an argument that lack of emotional experience combined with fewer memories makes each one more significant?!!
I've put together a blog for the school community, and one of the things I'm happiest about in it, is that there's a language toggle. I write in English, and for those families who've expatriated this direction, there is still access to what's happening at school when they flip to their language of choice. I remember too well being the language "outsider" even though ours was a gentle introduction because there were so many English speakers at the school.
A dad was speaking with his son, and I wanted to give him the welcome card, so he could find the blog and translate it. We needed the son to translate just that little bit! He's a Kindergarten kid!!! With so many international families at the school, I hope that this helps them make the connections that I was able to make while we were the expats.
And I'll just end with this--mobility is great, and it's difficult. Good thing for hugs and Skype, because sometimes the sleepover will be the last time little friends are together.
Cheers and chao...
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