On the 30th of this month, my youngest child will walk the field at Liberty High School (hopefully in warmish, not sweltering hot weather) to receive his high school diploma and then in August he will have Bakersfield in his rearview mirror as he heads to Kansas for college. He is such a presence in our house with his energetic personality; and there are many things I will miss about him not being around.

I think the main part of his life I will miss is hearing his piano playing! Starting lessons at five years old, he was immediately enamored with the piano and it stuck as he continues to take lessons. He even plans on continuing his lessons over Zoom while he’s in the Midwest.  Over the years, he has become quite the pianist. In fact, he now teaches beginning piano to some elementary-school age children. It’s made my mama heart so happy to see him sharing his gift with new students and being so excited about it. He even composes original pieces for them to play so they can be more challenged.

Passing along your passion to the next generation is important as this month’s Happy Mama knows and practices.  In Callie Collins’ article, “Hello, Happy (Dancing) Mama: Ashley Rossi shares her connections to leading the next generation and why you should come to this year’s Basque festival,” she writes about how this mama infuses culture and family traditions into her life. Mother of three, Rossi works as an agriculture education teacher at Garces and still finds time to teach the local youth Basque dances.  To read about this amazing teacher and find out more about the Basque Festival, turn to page 12.

          Teachers really do a make a difference; and May 6-10 is designated as National Teacher Appreciation Week. KCFM wanted to give some tips to help you make sure you made the most out thanking those in your children’s lives that help them so much.  In the article, “Teacher Appreciation Week:  Five ways to thank an educator in your life,” Callie Collins offers ways to create a memorable thank-you sentiment that your teachers are sure to remember.

          In this month’s Humor at Home article, “Chores: Family Means Everybody Helps,” on page 22, Julie Willis writes about how each member of the family has a different definition and work strategy when it comes to household chores. Her daughters have their own plan of action while her husband really excels at it. 

          This month almost always is the demarcation line between school days and summer freedom; and for me, this year marks a huge milestone as all three of my children will be high school graduates. A new phase of life is upon us and it’s exciting and scary too, but mostly exciting.  I’m really going to miss hearing my son play the piano with all his pep and energy. I am so thankful for FaceTime, and trust me, I have a gazillion videos saved in my phone, so when I really miss hearing his musical pieces, I can reminisce. And, when I’m really missing him, I can go back and look at the videos I made when he was just learning the piano and pecking out a simple song.  It’s amazing as mothers how we are so proud of our children at every stage in their lives.

          Here’s to a happy May and the start to a fabulous summer!  Be sure to wear your sunscreen!