Goodbye

I remember riding home with my mother from college one spring day and telling her with all the self-assured conviction (i.e. arrogance) of an 18-year-old that I was going to “be somebody” one day. I could just feel it.

Yeah, you can groan now. It is corny.

I don’t know when I lost that “feeling” that I was going to make something of myself. Maybe it happened when I got bogged down with the daily grind. It’s hard to pull ahead when you can barely keep up.

But in the middle of the night two years ago, as I held my newborn Ladybug, I had a flicker of hope. Not for me, but for her. Maybe if we gave her a good start in life she’d find her own dreams and have more success than we did in reaching ours.

My husband and I talk often about how to accomplish that. Ladybug has the unique advantage of having two cultures – French and American – under one roof. But the question has always been, how do we make sure she makes the most of it? How can we best teach her about her two cultures and the world around her? Where will she be able to perfect both of her native languages and be exposed to others like her?

We have an opportunity now to try to answer some of those questions. And as we do, I must leave you. This will be my last blog entry.

Thank you for following Ladybug’s journey for the last 10 months. I’ve enjoyed sharing our triumphs and our not-so-successful adventures (we’re almost three weeks into potty training, and still no luck!). And I’ve appreciated your suggestions, your praise and – yes – even your criticisms.

Thank you again for reading. May your mothering days be happy!