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I’m not sure I’m cut out for this parenting gig.
School is the reason I almost didn’t have kids. I was scared to send them off into the big, bad, brick building.
Turns out, not that much has changed.
I’m really trying hard not to be a helicopter mom. I don’t want my kids to grow up with me doing everything for them, not letting them breathe and grow into independent people. I don’t want to do that to their future wives/husbands (and also, I might be too lazy).
Which is why, on Monday morning, the first day of the first full week of school, I told Henry that I would walk him to the gym door, but I wouldn’t take him all the way to his class’ section. He has to be able to walk in without me.
He didn’t want to, of course. But I made him (being the good mom that I am?).
I watched him nearly run across that gym floor, never looking anywhere but straight ahead, and sit down on the bottom bleacher in his class’ section.
It killed me. KILLED ME.
Why did they have to put the littlest kids all the way on the far side of the gym anyway??
Ivy was sick on Monday, but she’s only let me cut off about 2 minutes of the time I have to stay with her. I guess I could leave her, too, but I’m not going to leave her crying. Henry took at least a week of kindergarten before he let me leave him last year.
But, I’m doing the right thing, right? I have to cut the cord at some point.
RIGHT??
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I don't even want to think about this. Drinks are on me Saturday. Sheesh.
I hated walking across the gym as a kid, just the thought of it now makes me a little nervous. Hang in there the morning drop off will get easier.
It's never easy but you do have to cut the cord at some point.
I'll send you virtual mojitos.
Oh, I'm so not ready for this. Good luck!
This made me all teary. Sending my first to preschool in two weeks and I am already a mess about the whole thing!
I hated school drop offs for my biggest boy -Aspie J-man. He would sob and beg me not to leave him. I would walk down the hallway trying to hold myself together til I fell into the car and bawled like a baby. It took 3 terms of tears every morning. OMG my heart hurts thinking about it! Child 2 was fine as long as I waited til she'd found a friend. Child 3 told me on her very first day I could drop her at the gate ! She's independant in case you didn't catch that.
Child 4 would have ocassional tears, like when there was a substitute teacher or a different routine. She likes me to come to the classroom once a week to see all the artwork and treasure.
I don't recall any of them walking me to my classroom on my first Nursey class. Selfish
Oh, your poor Mama heart! I think I'd have been a puddle if I were you. Stay strong, kids are really resilient and adaptable. 🙂
You are totally cut out of this parenting gig ! In fact, you rock it out of the park!!!
You are definitely doing the right thing. They have to learn that it will be just fine without them. I was just reading how all this over-nurturing that parents are caught up in these days is creating anxiety-ridden teens. They don't know what to do without mom. Been thinking about this a lot since dropping my first born off at college this month. It has been an adjustment for him. But no matter how hard it is for him — it's been harder on mom. But they have to learn to do things on their own, I keep telling myself this.. You took a good step with your son.
Of course you're doing the right thing! Helicopter mom kids turn out crazy…I should know because my mom was a helicopter and I feel like I didn't get to experience life like I should have. He will be fine!! But I can totally get the heartbreak.
You are doing the right thing (repeat after me!).
My son will be 11 in two weeks and I still have to force myself to just "let him go". But it's the right thing to do. (Repeat after me!)
You are SOOO doing the right thing. My girls love to head off to school and it is because I let them go from the very beginning. I didn't promise them that it would be fun every day but I did tell them that they would make lots of fun and learn a lot.
It always hurts to let them go…even a bit but it will feel amazing to see them thrive. 🙂
Argh, I dread this too. I'm already stressed about school starting and we still have a few years. Sometimes I want to homeschool just to avoid this, but that's not really a good reason. Letting go is so much harder than I realized.
I couldn't even begin to tell you if you're doing the right thing. I'm so bad at these decisions. It took me forEVER to get to where I would just leave the girls in their preschool class and let the teacher and aide deal with helping them get their bags hung and water bottles out.
I liked that they always let us walk the kids to the classroom for the first two weeks of school. The kids were told and prepared… and it really did work beautifully. At the "new" school i drop them right in front of the classromms and they walk straight in… well, the boy is on his own now… middle school and all!!! You have to do what feels right for you and the kids… it's not always easy. Hope it gets better for all of you!!!
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[…] y’all for talking me off the ledge last week. Things did get better. I still don’t like to see my little man walking across that gym […]