Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow is yet to come.

When my two girls were born, people would always say your kids will grow up before you know it. This year, I think that just happened. My youngest daughter Graci who is 11, will be going to middle school in the fall. All this month, students in fifth grade are invited to tour the middle school they will be attending  and meet some of the staff and teachers.

I had the opportunity to check out my daughter's school with her along with hundreds of other fifth grade parents and their kids.  It truly was an eye opener and realization of yes, my daughter is growing up. I think most parents who have kids going into sixth grade will agree, it is a big step up. For some reason even though it is just one grade up from fifth grade, the transition into middle school is more than a grade level. Most students who go to middle school attend a new school and are no longer the oldest kids on campus, now they are the youngest. The other big differences are students have lockers and switch classes. As an adult, have you ever had the common locker dream, where you couldn't remember your combination? If you haven't you're lucky. As far as classes, my daughter will go from having one main teacher in fifth grade to having seven teachers in sixth grade.

Kids aren't the only ones in for a change. I know I am going to miss my daughter's elementary school especially the teachers and staff. This is a new chapter for me as a parent. For the past eight years, I have been dropping off  and picking up at least one of my daughters at the same school. What makes my kids elementary school even more special to me is, I attended it when I was younger. I am also going to miss volunteering at the school and chaperoning on field trips. One of my daughter's favorite things is when I eat lunch with her at school. I don't get to do it as often as I like, but I know Graci loves it because she asks me all the time to come to school and eat with her.  In middle school, you can't eat lunch with your kids. I don't think the school lets you and it's middle school, you just don't do that anymore.

At least there are a few more months of elementary school and summer before my daughter actually becomes a middle schooler. I know time won't stop and before I know it my kids will be going off to college. I really try to enjoy the days I have with my kids. I had someone tell me recently their child was in college and they were coming home for spring break and she couldn't wait to do her child's laundry. I laughed, but know it's so true. I think Mother Teresa said it best when she said,  "Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow is yet to come. We have only today. Let us begin."