Whew, this year. The changes for my kids are hitting rapid-fire, and I'm not even referring to the pandemic, which has added its own level of stress. This Spring, my two older kids got their drivers' licenses, my oldest is graduating high school (yikes), my middle one transferred to a private school to have her special needs met and also has a serious boyfriend, and my youngest developed THE ATTITUDE. He's a love but he just turned 14 and has gotten super snippy.
To say that I'm just going along for the ride at this point is putting it mildly. I'm just trying to hang on to the arm strap and hope we get there OK. At some point, there's not much you can control anymore and you start to look back and think, "Man, I wish I had done some things differently when they were little." I should have made them empty the dishwasher every day. I shouldn't have let them drop out of martial arts. I should have shut off the video games. So many things to do (or not do) and you just do the best you can.
Things may not have turned out quite like I thought -- do they EVER turn out like you think? -- but I've realized that it's all OK. I was chatting with a friend with children the same age, and we were sharing our worries and frustrations. But then we thought, you know, the kids are going to be OK. They're good, decent people. They'll figure it out. Maybe they'll take a different path than we did, but it's their lives to live and learn.
On to lighter topics... events are coming back! Such exciting news about everything reopening and the mask mandate being lifted on May 29. I just added the Georgetown Summer Concerts to the calendar, and the Lawrence Spring Carnival opens Thursday. Here are some fun events happening this weekend:
- Scouting Jamboree at Camp Denison
- Lawrence Spring Carnival
- Spring Black and Brown-Owned Market
- Groundwork Lawrence Farmers Market
- Virtual Drag Kings, Queens & Friends Storytime
If you hear about great family events happening soon, please let me know! You can message me on Facebook or send me a note at barbarae@macaronikid.com.
Last week I posted an article about needing local writers and heard from several of you -- thank you! Since my kids have outgrown the playground stage, I really love to work with a group of local moms and dads who get out and have fun in the community and then write about their experiences. Hopefully we'll have some great community articles very soon for parents of kids of all ages.
If your business would like to share an upcoming event, summer camp or class, or products and services with Merrimack Valley parents, please drop me a note! This edition is supported 100% by local sponsors.
Enjoy the beautiful Spring weather!
Barbara
Macaroni Kid Merrimack Valley is a free weekly newsletter and website focused on fun family events and information in the Merrimack Valley area.
We gather together all kinds of local family events and activities each week, and add useful information about classes, family-focused businesses, book and product reviews, recipes, crafts, school and camp guides and more. We proudly serve 4,300+ families in Andover, Methuen, North Andover, Lawrence, Haverhill, Groveland, Georgetown, Boxford, Middleton, and other surrounding communities.
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