My son took another big step forward in his young life this week, as he started his second year of preschool. No more half days for the little guy... he now goes all day long twice a week as he gets ready for a grueling full schedule of kindergarten next year.

As a parent, each new step is met with pride, apprehension and yes, a little bit of sadness. There's no turning back. Of course, it's the same for the kids. Is there any other day of your life that has a more perfect mix of excitement and dread than the first day of school? I know Jack was very excited to see his friends, especially his best buddy who he saw very little of over the summer. However, when a friend of ours peeked into our car and asked Jack if he was excited to start school, he looked down and replied, "Not so much."

I happened to read a column in the newspaper this week from a mother on the opposite end of the spectrum from me. While Jack is only starting his school career, her youngest child is a senior in high school. It reminded me that this will all go so quickly. Before I know it, Jack will be finishing high school and we'll all be thinking about college, not kindergarten. I only hope we can enjoy every grade, stage and experience along the way. What a wonderful journey it's going to be.