It’s Not Always Easy

“You can’t move while kids are in school.”

This phrase seems to get tossed around quite a bit and can sometimes hold people back from doing the things they really want to do. There was a time we believed it, too, until we gave ourselves the permission to move past the typical rules and norms.

When we moved, we still had two kids in high school, so a question we are often asked is “How was it for the kids?” Well, it depends on which kid and on which day. Meaning, we all had our ups and downs and periods of adjustment.

But Friday night was a special day. It was our 16-year-old daughter’s first time to put on her cheer uniform for this school year. It was special because she was excited, she was eager, and she has a sense of belonging. It was special because that took a while.

The move was probably hardest on her at first. We moved during the middle of her freshman year—during COVID. School was not normal, so meeting people was not normal. It was hard for her to leave her friends and her cheer team back in Texas. But we made the move because we believed so much in what we were doing and the lasting changes it would mean for us and our family.

During the hardest of times, we talked, we cried, we supported one another, and we figured things out.

What the move meant for me and Brandon was slowing down, simplifying, focusing on what is most important to us. It meant being ourselves, being present, and being there for our kids in a way we had never done before.

What the move meant for our family is that our kids have parents who are calm, patient, and available. The move meant that we now have kids who are also calm, patient, and available. Every internal change we have experienced, they have experienced, too.

So today, our girl is happy for who she is and where she is. As a parent of a teenager, I feel like that is saying a lot!

I am not going to lie, it was not always easy. But looking at where we are now, it has all been worth it.