The Mom Voice

This Monday morning has been a bless and a curse.

The kids went off to school fine, but my nerves are worse than if it was the first day of kindergarten.

For future reference I refer to my children on social media as 1,2 and 3.

A little back story, 2 and 3 have had to get a hug,kiss, and high five from me as part of their routine everyday in school last year. It is what calmed their anxiety and got them ready to face the day in school. Now they needed to do this about 3 times before I left them at the school. Comforting for them, nerve wrecking for me. I would love to be the parent that just drops them off outside and rushed off to my day, but unfortunately that is not the case. For whatever reasons their separation anxiety piqued last year in the new school, and it as that way all year.

Fast forward to this year, where I spent the last two weeks of summer vacation explaining to them that I can only give the hug,kiss,and high five once and then they would have to go on. Their merry ways and I would be outside the school waiting for them at the end of the day.

So this morning, I dropped 2 and 3 off at school and their father dropped 1 off at the middle school. 3 went on to her classroom fine. Now, this is the first time 2 has had to go upstairs in the school and find his way to his classroom on his own. He also had to wade through a whole hallway of new kindergarteners and their parents. 2 was a little tears eyed as he walked away from me, but he held his head high and disappeared into the crowd.

This is where my mom nerves kick in. I don’t know if he got upstairs, I don’t know if he found his locker, and I certainly don’t know if he is ok in his classroom right now. I did the exact thing I said I wouldn’t o this morning and I stood and waited there for 5 mins, while no kid came back to me.

Now I know a lot of you may think I am crazy, and I am sure everything will be fine and he will come out of the school fine this afternoon.

BUT…. The little mom voice is sitting in the corner in the back of my head, wondering all day if he is ok. Another side note, 2 is also in the process of being diagnosed with ADHD or something else. Last year he threw tantrum after tantrum about being afraid of going to school, not wanting to go on the bus, and has gone so far as to hide under the bed crying because I was being a horrible mom trying to make him go to school.

The school as been so helpful this past year, helping me get him into the routine of being left in school, even if it did take a whole month of me dropping him off crying in the office and sneaking away. Those days were long and agonizing, because I would leave him there crying, after a morning off struggling, and then he would have a great day in school, and come home happy go lucky.

So, this is why I have the fears I have this year. This is only his second day in school, and last Friday I was able to take him up to his classroom, and help him find his locker.

Now I will putter around the house and make myself busy to keep my mind off it until it is time to pick him up the afternoon, where he will be fine, and he will tell me all about his day, and I will be so proud of him.

That is my mom rant for today. Expect another post tomorrow 🙂

UPDATE: Everything went fine, and my mom nerves were unfounded. They all had a great day.

Back to School

This year has to be one of the most interesting years for struggling to get everything together before the kids go back to school on Sept. 7th. I have 3 children in school, Grades 6, 2, and 1. This is the massive list of school supplies I had to pick up to have them prepared to go back to school.

1 Ruler
1 Protractor
1 Highlighter
1 Package of loose leaf paper
2 Binders (1 inch)
2 sets of headphones
2 packages of colouring leads
2 packages of plastic spoons
2 Packages of plastic straws
3 Pencil cases
3 Book Bags
3 Lunch Bags
4 Pairs of scissors
4 Pairs of Sneakers
5 packages of crayons (24 pack)
6 boxes of pencils
6 boxes of tissues
10 white erasers
10 Binder dividers
14 large glue sticks
24 Exercise Books (non coiled)
34 duo tangs

New clothing for each child because they are growing like I don’t know what. I did not buy excessive clothing just because I wanted them to have something new for the first day of school. They needed it. Sometime between June and now, my oldest managed to grow about 3 inches taller and out of ever single pair of pants he owned, and the same goes for my middle child. So not only did I have to buy one suit of new clothing for school, I basically had to outfit their wardrobes all over again, so they would have clothing that fit them. They aren’t going to get away with wear shorts all the time soon.
Also, somehow between June and now, every sock this house has managed to fly away. So I had to buy a pack of 10 pairs of socks each.

Now like a lot of you out there, I did not just pick up and go, and I certainly did not buy name brand where I didn’t have to. The whole of my shopping was done between Walmart, Rossy, and the Dollar store. Yes I broke myself buying everything my children need for the school year, and yes these next two weeks are going to be tight around here, but one thing is for sure….

I have so much GRATITUDE to be able to say this.

I am not complaining because I have 3 beautiful children who are able to go to school in September. We live in a Province and Country where it is safe for them to get an education. I was able to provided for my 3 beautiful children what they need to give them the best start of the new year. Just the thought that I am able to be here and have 3 children to take care of and provide for makes me grateful for this life.

I am so lucky that I can send my children to a school where I know the teachers and staff, and I can trust that my children are taken care of from the moment I drop them off at the door, till the time I pick them up in the afternoon.

I appreciate everything the teacher do on a daily basis. They are the real MVPs here.
I certainly don’t look at it has the teachers fault for all the things my children need on the list for school. The Teachers are helping me mould my children into well behaved human beings and to be come the best that they can be. If that means 4 packs of crayons for one kid, then heck yeah. 16 exercise books, sure. It’s all for a great purpose.

And that’s my Thursday Rant. Have a great day everyone.