When Letting Go Is Hard | Life After Homeschool
It’s been over two years since my last kiddo graduated high school, and just recently I finally moved the last of our homeschool folders and projects out of the dining room. I know, I know. It’s been too long. And here’s the truth: I didn’t even throw them away or place them neatly in a special keepsake box or scrapbook. They’re sitting on the floor, near our upstairs storage cupboards, waiting for me to sort through them.
Why is this season so difficult for me?
The Weight of Memories
Those folders and projects aren’t just papers. They represent years of hard work, late nights, tears, laughter, and victories. Both mine and my boys’. They hold math tests that once felt impossible, book reports written with growing confidence, and science projects that filled our home with curiosity. Each page feels like a piece of our journey, and moving them reminds me that this chapter of homeschooling is truly closed.
The Transition of Seasons
Homeschooling was more than education. It was a way of life. It was our whole life.
For so many years, our days were built around lessons, library trips, field trips, and kitchen table discussions. To pack away those folders is to acknowledge that the rhythm of our home has changed forever.
And yet, isn’t that the beauty of life? Seasons change. Children grow. And just as we celebrated the beginning of each school year, I’m learning to honor the end of this homeschooling season with gratitude.
Holding On and Letting Go
It’s okay that those folders are still sitting there. It’s okay that my heart aches a little as I think about sorting through them. Letting go doesn’t mean forgetting. It means acknowledging how much love, time, and effort went into those years, and trusting that God is still writing the next chapter for both me and my children.
Encouragement for Other Moms
If you’re in a similar place, packing away homeschool memories, sending a child off to college, or even just watching your little ones grow faster than you expected, I want you to know this: you’re not alone. It’s normal to feel the tug between pride and sadness, joy and grief.
Our job was never to hold on forever. Our job was to pour in, love deeply, and prepare them to step into the world. And by God’s grace, we did that.
So if you have folders sitting by your storage cupboards too, take your time. Celebrate the journey. And remember that every season, even this one, is part of the beautiful story of family and faith.
XOXO - Kristi
