08/15/2026
I got a little reminder the other night that sometimes the work we do with children lasts a whole lot longer than we realize.
It was about 8:00 at night, and my husband and I were walking through Meijerâwhich, at this stage of life, sometimes counts as date night. đ
We were deep in conversation when, from across the checkout lanes, I see this arm waving furiously at me.
So I split off from my husband and head toward the waving armâŚ
And there was a mom Iâve known for years with two of her daughters.
And hereâs the crazy part.
We had these girls when they were infants.
Their older sister, too.
I havenât aged at all, obviously, so Iâm not exactly sure how theyâre old enough for what happened next. đ
But this beautiful young woman holds up this ridiculously long Meijer receipt and says,
âI just did my shopping for COLLEGE!â
College?!
Immediately I told her she needed to be nicer to her mother because I was pretty sure she hadnât paid for everything on that receipt. đ
We all started laughing.
And then we just stood there talking.
Where are you going? Do you need a car? What about gas and insurance? Where are you doing laundry? What are you going to eat?
Her mom and I are standing shoulder to shoulder, giving her just enough reality without taking one ounce of excitement away from this huge moment in her life.
And naturally, eventually, I got to boys.
I told her boys are expensive AND distracting, so she needed to focus, go out into the world, and do great things.
She gave me that little eye roll and started moving awayâŚ
Because if thereâs one thing every kid learns somewhere along the way, itâs that grown-ups talk WAY too much. đ
Her younger sister was already trying to keep the cart moving because she knew the minute we saw each other, there was going to be some stopping and visiting.
And her mom gave me that little side-eye look.
You moms know the look.
And for just a second, standing there in the middle of Meijer, I thoughtâŚ
This is what almost 21 years of childcare looks like.
It isnât just diapers and preschool and kindergarten readiness.
Itâs relationships.
Itâs getting to know an entire family.
Itâs being the bridge for parents who have to go to work while their babies are busy growing up.
Itâs loving those babies so well that years later, when theyâre teenagers and young adults and they see you across a crowded storeâŚ
They still wave.
They still stop.
They still want to tell you whatâs happening in their lives.
And you still get to stand shoulder to shoulder with their mom for just a minute and love that kid together.
Thatâs community.
Thatâs what I always wanted For Kidsâ Sake to be.
And watching that little girl I once knew as a baby walk away, getting ready to head off to collegeâŚ
I felt a little bit of pride.
Sheâs going out into this world to become whoever sheâs supposed to become.
And somewhere way back at the beginning of her story, we got to be a tiny piece of it.
What a privilege that is.
Almost 21 years of babies, toddlers, preschoolers, families, first days, last days, graduationsâŚand apparently now college shopping at Meijer. â¤ď¸
And somehow, when you see them again, it doesnât feel like all those years have passed.
Theyâre still our kids.
Just a whole lot bigger. â¤ď¸
