One Day I'll Miss These Drives To and From School

I am at the school for the third or fourth time today. I have honestly lost track of how many times I’ve made the drive to the high school.

As a first-time high school mom, every day feels new. I watch my child hop out of the car, say “I love you,” give me a little wave, and walk into that building. Some days I do not see him again for 12 or 13 hours, and he is loving every minute of the activities, the friends, and the high school experience.

I cannot help but feel proud, excited, and heartbroken all at the same time. I find myself wondering how many waves I will get before the last one. It feels like the beginning of the end, and I feel caught between having a little child and raising a little adult at the same time. It is a strange and emotional place to stand. I see his maturity growing, his excitement for the future, and the person he is becoming, while also catching glimpses of the kid he still is, running around and laughing without a care.

I feel the pull to hold on tightly to the little boy I have had the honor of watching grow up, while also knowing I need to let go and watch him spread his wings and become who he has always been meant to be.

Some days, by the fourth or fifth trip to the high school, I feel tired from all the driving and chauffeuring. But the moment my kid gets back in the car, and we have those few minutes of uninterrupted, focused time together, I am reminded what a privilege it is. I know I am going to miss these days. I know there will come a time when I am no longer driving kids to school, when they are no longer living at home, and when I will wish for just one more of these simple drives back and forth.

So instead of complaining about the constant trips, I am choosing to soak them in. I am listening to the conversations, the big plans for the future, and the little stories from his day. I am choosing to focus on the time we still have together, knowing how quickly it is passing.

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Charissa Bates

Charissa Bates is a cancer survivor, mama to three, and a children’s mental health therapist whose life and writing are shaped by faith, resilience, and the beauty found in everyday family moments. She is the author of The Traveling Book series, We Find Joy: Cancer Messed with the Wrong Family, the Brain Builders Series, I Do Declare, A Norwegian Fair, Garden Valley Kids: Fort in the Woods, and Standstill: A Young Mom Conquering Triple Negative Breast Cancer. Represented by Kristen Terrette of Martin Literacy and Management, Charissa dreams of the day her work is discovered by the perfect publisher. Through her stories, she encourages families to hold on to hope, find joy in the unknowns, and see purpose woven through both celebration and struggle, while also inviting readers to step into new worlds filled with curiosity, imagination, and wonder.