Little Rock, Arkansas – As parents across Arkansas gear up for another school year, one mother is facing a uniquely challenging — and emotional — journey. Cortney Pitts, a Little Rock realtor and mother of three, is preparing to send her children into the 2025-26 academic year, each entering a completely different stage of their educational lives.
Pitts’s youngest is about to begin pre-kindergarten, her middle child is starting high school, and her eldest daughter is entering her senior year — a milestone that marks the beginning of adulthood.
“It seems like it was just yesterday when I was giving birth to the oldest child and here she is about to graduate high school,” Pitts shared. “And then here I am with another child and I’m just like goodness it was just yesterday when she was this small.”
The wide age range of her children has made Pitts reflect more deeply on parenting. She describes her days as a mix of packing lunchboxes for her four-year-old while watching her 17-year-old pull out of the driveway with the car keys in hand — a reality that feels both surreal and sentimental.
“I find myself always using each moment as a teachable moment,” Pitts said. “Because I’m like… Okay… I feel like I’m running out of time with the 18-year-old or soon-to-be 18-year-old… Constantly sharing advice and everything that comes up with her. With the 4-year-old, I feel like I’m at that stage where I’m doing the absolute most for him because I didn’t do it with the other two or maybe I couldn’t afford to with the other two.”
Her story offers a glimpse into the complex emotional landscape of motherhood — balancing nostalgia, daily demands, and the desire to be fully present.
Fortunately, Pitts’s career in real estate offers her the kind of flexibility that many working parents envy. She’s able to shift her schedule to accommodate school runs, extracurricular events, and all the in-between moments that matter most.
“Living in each moment and just being present,” she said.
Pitts also offered heartfelt advice to other parents navigating the school year: slow down and appreciate each phase, no matter how chaotic life may feel.
“Holding onto every moment and enjoying each milestone because time does fly,” she said. “It seems like it was just yesterday when I was giving birth to the oldest child and here she is about to graduate high school.”
While most families are dealing with a single school supply list or one new bus schedule, Pitts is coordinating across three school calendars and a broad range of emotional needs — from her teenager’s college prep worries to her preschooler’s first-day jitters.
Her story is a reminder that parenting doesn’t come in neat phases, and each year brings its own mix of joy, challenge, and reflection. As the school bells ring this fall, Pitts will be experiencing the full spectrum of motherhood — all at once.
