The author said she spent years volunteering at her son's schools; now she's showing up for him in a different way.
Courtesy of Nina McCollum.
I am the mom of an only child, and my 17-year-old son is a senior this year. I've always tried to volunteer and get involved to help out and enrich his school experience, but in recent years, I've scaled back.When he started high school and joined the marching band in ninth grade, I no longer wanted to be scurrying around on the sidelines, taking care of things for everyone else's kids. I wanted to focus on my kid. So that's what I did. I took a step back and actually enjoyed watching my kid do something that he loved.Now, he's a senior, and I have no regrets.I've put in my timeI was very active in the PTA when he was in elementary school. I organized the twice-yearly dinners for teachers and staff during parent-teacher conference nights, arranging food and desserts and soliciting volunteers to help set up, serve, and tear down. Then came middle school and COVID-19. My focus shifted to my kid and how to get him through tough times. I created "Mom's Summer Camp" when his camp was closed, and I wanted to focus on being there for him during these transitional years.When he started high school, I was going through a rough time personally, and I had to fight to find time and energy to show up for him. My mom, who had previously been enjoying an independent retirement life, started having some medical issues that required a lot of continued assistance from me.
