Time to say goodbye …

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Today was my 12 year old’s last day in Primary school.  The occasion was marked with a graduation mass which gave us parents a last chance to go into the school.  As I looked at my son and his friends I was reminded of the first time we went in to school for their nativity play in Junior Infants.  There was great excitement as little boys sought out their mammies and daddies and settled once they saw them.  There wasn’t the same need for reassurance today but I still got the thumbs up just to let me know that my presence was noted 🙂

It’s hard to believe that 8 years have passed since he first started in school, and yet, now here we are, finished and facing a whole new world of secondary school.  Today was an emotional day for many parents, this one included, and when one of the boys sang ‘Time to Say Goodbye’ there was a tear or two shed.

Following this with a rendition of ‘The Graduation Song’ sung by all the boys was enough to send us all searching for the tissues!!

There is a real sense of anticipation in the boys.  They’re ready to move on and yet there is a hesitance in saying goodbye.  Most of them have been together all the way through primary school and they have become a very tightly knit group.  Next year will bring changes in that dynamic as they end up in different schools and different classes within the same school.  My wish for them all, as they move into the next phase, is that the strong friendships that they have forged will withstand the changes.