It’s that time of year that moms yearn for all summer long. Unfortunately, when it gets here, some moms are overtaken by remorse at seeing their little ones off to school for the whole day.
We miss them.
I can’t imagine how you’re doing it, those of you who only have one little one, or whose littlest one has trotted off to the world of education. I’m over here losing my cool because two of my brood are going to full-time school this year, and I will be left with only my littlest, The Dragon.
Suddenly a Mom of One?
I haven’t had only one child at home with me since my first was tiny. She wasn’t even two when my son was born. When my oldest started preschool at age 4, my third child was born just before school started.
Now, I don’t know what to do with myself! The Dragon and I can go to the grocery store, and I only have to keep track of one child! We can go to the park and I’m not being pulled in three directions! I can push her on the swings without worrying that my other two have passed out of my eyesight. {Yes, I am a little paranoid, but the human trafficking statistics have made me this way.}
Time Speeding Up
The time passes so quickly when your children are small. Everyone warns you, and you think you understand, but then you wake up and two children are in full-time school.
Some of the irrational feelings I have had so far:
Am I finished with the foundational parenting?
I hope I taught them everything I needed to teach them.
Who will hug them when they get sad?
I hope they remember to go to the bathroom when they need to go.
Will I still be able to teach them valuable life lessons?
Of course, I will. During the week it absolutely feels like they are no longer mine. Watching them walk into school, and knowing I don’t get them back until they are exhausted and cranky and most of the day has passed, is hard.
But they’re still mine. And I’m still Mama.
The Dreaded After-school Meltdown
They still feel the most comfortable around me, which is comforting in a they-have-emotional-meltdowns-as-soon-as-they-see-me sort of way. After-school meltdowns are a reality and they really stink, but I keep reminding myself that it’s because they’ve had to hold it together all day at school and they’re finally home and they can let it all out. {Hurray…}
So this school year, I will hug my three-year-old tightly and cram in all the life lessons that I think she needs before she leaves me too.
Are you having trouble with the back-to-school phase? Are you the #kindergartenmom who cries on the first day or the #olderkidmom who’s floating in the pool, celebrating getting the day to herself? We love and admire both of you! Motherhood has so many stages.
