My kids split their time between me and my ex. I had to manage finals, graduation, and other end-of-year chaos from afar.

• I’m a divorced mom, and my kids split their time 50/50 between me and my ex.
• This year, they were with him for the last week of school, which was hard on me.
• I did advance prep and sent text reminders to keep my kids on schedule for my own peace of mind.

It all came together

When I saw my son walk into the middle school gym in the graduation procession, he looked so handsome and ready for high school. I was flooded with memories of him in the stroller, playing soccer as a toddler in the park, and racing Hot Wheels cars. I smiled at him and waved probably too much, but I hoped he could see how proud I was of him.

At my daughter’s graduation, she looked so beautiful and grown up in her dress. I noticed she didn’t wear the necklace or the earrings we had planned out, and a part of me wondered if it was because I wasn’t there to help while she got ready. Maybe she just changed her mind. I’m not going to ask her to explain her reasoning to me. The most important thing, though, was that she was full of smiles, and I was proud of everything we had overcome to get to this moment.

This time in their life is full of so many new beginnings, and I’m happy to do what I can to support them, whether it’s my week or not.