Back to School Bravery

This week was hectic for the South Bend Centellas clan... both Cruz and Novali started new schools. Novali into High School and Cruz into a new preschool. Lots of school lists, information from the school, planning driving routes and figuring timing out... hectic.

It was nice that my parents were here to help, but yesterday I took them to the airport to fly out to Boston to visit my brother Andres and his newest addition to the family, Liam Centellas. So today we were on our own.

Each morning Cruz would say he is scared. First two days Heather went with us and she walked him in, third day I drove him myself and I walked him up. Today he said he was scared as we packed up the car. He asked about just going to his other school instead... but I told him not to worry, that he is brave and that he would have fun again (each day at pick up he says he had fun). He smiled when I told him he was brave.

So Cruz and I rode to school and dropped off Mari first. Then we started the routine to do drop off for Cruz at his new school. As we pulled up front he said, "Papi, I can walk by myself", and he did.

Hopped out, put on his book bag, and walked into school. I didn't even get a waive.

Bravery comes in lots of forms. Sometimes it is a fireman running into a fire, but sometimes it is a little four year old putting on his backpack and walking into school. Sometimes it is a teenage girl, who just moved towns to a new school and without knowing a soul walked into a big scary high school.

We often under estimate our kids, or don't give them credit for how hard some of these things can be... but we also have to balance not giving them an easy out. We have to give them opportunities to learn how strong they are, and give them chances to show us how much stronger they are than we could have ever imaged.

One Proud Papi Today.