Senior Year is Going too Fast…and It’s Not Ok.

Feeling the Whirlwind of Senior Year: It’s Too Fast, and Here's Why

Warning to senior parents: Get your tissues ready.

If you are the parent of a senior in high school this year, then you probably also have the same wide-eyed stressed out stare that seems to be permanently frozen on my face. (Or maybe that’s just the Botox finally kicking in - but you know what I mean).

It’s a look of bewilderment, stress and sheer confusion.

I mean how in the hell am I planning my daughter’s graduation party when I literally just brought her home from the hospital yesterday?

I have worked in education for a long time, and I’ve seen hundreds of seniors come and go for more than 20 years. In fact, I’m partially responsible for writing the graduation script and helping to plan the commencement ceremony at work. 

But this year is just different.

This year, it’s MY baby who will walk across that stage.

The Swift Passage of Time: From Baby Steps to Graduation Steps

People have told me before that senior year will fly by, but I don’t think you really “get it” until you are in the trenches.

And between helping her with scholarship applications, planning her graduation party and shopping for prom dresses, MAN am I in the trenches.

Wasn’t it just yesterday that we were tucking them in with a bedtime story, holding them when they were up crying all night and changing what seemed like a million diapers?

 I swear I don’t think I slept until she was 4.

It was for sure just last week that she was toddling down the hallway with one pacifier in her mouth and one in both hands. She was always prepared.

Cherishing the Lasts as Much as the Firsts

I remember all the firsts. The first time she walked. Her first day of kindergarten. Her first day here with me at Linsly as a 5th grader. It seemed like the Class of 2025 was a million years away.

Now, with only a few months away from graduation and the end of her senior year, I am acutely aware that it is time to cherish all of the lasts.

The last drive with her to school.

The last time I pass her in the hallway.

The last Extravaganza act.

The last time she stops by my office during study hall.

The last time I hear her alarm going off….and going off…and going off… in the morning.

How did 18 years fly by so quickly?

All I know is that I blinked and she has turned into a beautiful, independent, smart and kind young woman-one that 18 years ago I could have never even imagined as I held her in my arms.

While I can’t wait to see what the next chapter of her life will hold, I’m also just not ready to let go. I just need a little more time….

Senior year is going by too fast, and it’s not OK.