You know the saying “A picture is worth a thousand words?” That’s exactly how I feel about this picture. I took this last week while taking a walk with my daughter. She stopped about every 3 feet to pick up leaves along our path. Each time she would pick up a brightly colored leaf and then turn around and look at me, smiling big, proud of the treasures she was collecting all by herself. As I walked just slightly behind her, watching her marvel in the simple things, I remembered why I was fighting so hard.
If you’re from my area, then it’s likely you know what I am referring to. But if you’re not from here then I’ll take a minute to update you. These last few weeks in my home town have been nothing short from tough. Our children’s school district is in financial trouble and there are some really hard decisions being made right now in regards to which schools within the district will remain open and which one will close. Our school board and superintendent are deciding upon 5 different options on how to restructure our school district and one of the options was placing 7-12 grade students together. This option also closed my children’s elementary school. As a parent this was devastating to hear, for so many reasons. There is so much more that went into these options and the reasons as to why our district is financially struggling. But I’ll spare you all the details. The main point of me telling you this, is because it has made for quite a fight. And by fight I mean hours upon hours of research, meetings, forums and the list goes on.
Why fight?
So naturally my mommy instinct kicked into full drive. I was determined to help my children receive the best education possible. But more than that, I was determined to give them the best future possible. The thought of my one day 7th grade daughter going to school with seniors in high school made me physically ill. It kept me up at night. Flashes of my own personal experiences haunted me. I wanted better for my children. And I knew with every fiber of my being we would not have better if this particular option was chosen. And much of our community felt the same way. So we rallied together. We started a petition and long story (not so) short, we were able to get the 7-12 option taken off the table for now. Our next hurdle is keeping our local elementary school open which is surrounded by a whole bunch of other obstacles but we will not grow weary. We will pursue any way we can to keep it open. With that being said, I know in my heart that may not be a battle we win.
As my husband often says… “We’ve won the battle but we haven’t won the war.” This saying feels fitting for our current situation.
So as I walked with my daughter that day and saw the innocence of her heart dance in her eyes as she looked back at me, it was like in that moment I saw the first breath taken of each one of my children when they entered this world, all over again. The same breath that instantly sent my mommy instinct in full motion and ready to protect them any way I possibly could.
Standing there on that road, I knew I had to do what I knew in my heart to be right, even if it wasn’t the popular choice among some. And let me assure you, it hasn’t been an easy few weeks since that moment. People haven’t all liked my approach and there have been many times I have let worry of what others may be thinking, consume me. I have worried teachers and staff would feel differently then I did and take it out on my kids. I have worried that other moms may think I’m too intense or that I need to “let the cards fall where they may”… But as I kiss each one of my kids at night, and tuck them into bed, I see those eyes… The ones who first locked eyes with mine after they took those first breaths… And I know I’m doing the right thing. I’m fighting the right fight. Their innocence is worth protecting and their future is worth preserving.
We as parents face situations all the time where we have to ask ourselves, is this worth fighting for?
And for me, in this moment, I know it is.
So whatever you may be facing, whichever fight you may be fighting or decision you may need to make, just remember the why to your equation. Why are you working so hard at this? Why does this mean so much to you? And remember that no matter what everybody else may be thinking, if you know in your heart your why is worth protecting and fighting for… Then do just that. You’ve got this momma.
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