This is my first year as a mother not shuttling a single kid to a single center of learning and/or childcare, and it is FREEING. I feel visceral love for the school bus, despite it being, you know, a bus.
My youngest started kindergarten this year, and while I guess I had a couple pangs of “my baby is big,” by and large, I felt so happy. For him. For me. For everyone. But I know some September milestones are tricky and complicated (I have plenty of friends who met the first day of kindergarten with tears rather than internal cartwheels, to say nothing of middle school, high school, college, ET AL).
I have cried a lot about my youngest starting kindergarten, I didn’t cry at all with my 7 yo two years ago. Part of it is he seems so much younger as a June baby compared to my January baby. My 5 yo is NOT a morning person so that has made the transition to an earlier day tougher and so far we have had 4 rough Mondays on our extended year schedule with him not getting up and making our morning very rushed. I asked his teacher if he seemed ok at curriculum night because he has been more emotional at exactly 6:45 pm every night. She reassured me he seems to be doing great and not falling apart at school. My therapist has heard a lot about me navigating this transition.
Our bus comes way too early for them to ride it to school (6:30 am) but they ride it home and I appreciate my boys being together and seeing them high five or fist bump the bus driver every day. My husband is in season for HS soccer and leaves for practice about 10 minutes after our kids get home but at least they have small moments before he has to leave. Because their Y practices for their youth soccer leagues are later at night on back to back nights he’s also able to come across the street to see the kids at practice and take them home. We are still working on prepping dinner in any way on sports days, there’s been a lot of bagged Caesar salad and chicken strips.
I got very caught up in doomscrolling after the GA shooting last week, I kept reading Kate Baer poetry which is beautifully written but gutting and I hate that I have go to school shooting poetry to read at these times. I am very invested in supporting public education and I hate that we haven’t protected our children. My mom talked me out of wearing my Make it Stop anti gun button to the fun run last week at my kids’ school but I still wore my Harris/Walz buttons.
This is the first year I am only paying for after-school childcare for one kid - my oldest is 9 and can be trusted to entertain herself for the 1.5 hours between bus drop-off and when my husband and I are done working (from home). So that's nice. But with them getting older, there are more activities and sports and after-school things and the schedule adjustment has been tough, especially since we are early dinner, early bedtime people. I've had to let go of a lot of my ideas about "good" dinners and just get anything on the table - sometimes it's just cheese, crackers, fruit and veggies, which is coincidentally one of my kids' favorite dinners 🤣 Meal prepping on the weekends has also become a must. I do love this stage of life though, it's really fun watching them find out what they like and what they're good at.
Yup totally (also an early dinner/early bedtime family). It's def a circus at nighttime, but I agree it's a fun stage! I shocked myself by kinda loving soccer games lol.
I was shocked to learn I'm That Mom at the soccer games who can't sit down and shut up 😅 I can't help it, I was a cheerleader! That yelling-encouragement-from-the-sidelines instinct never goes away!
3 weeks ago today, I dropped my oldest off at a college three hours away. I went to visit him last week on Monday to celebrate his birthday a day early since he had the day off of school. It’s been a super rough 3 weeks for me. I’m not adjusting well 😂
My youngest is in his last year of junior high. Next year all 3 younger ones will be in high school, and my second oldest will graduate. It all seems surreal. There was a time, when I was so busy parenting four young kids, that I couldn’t fathom how life would be when they were teens.
My neurospicy 3 year old started preschool for the first time last week (3x a week, partial day.) We’re in the throes of drop-off meltdowns, making new routines, and helping her feel safe in the midst of all the changes. This is SO hard.
This summer I finally converted the 3-in-1 carseat to a booster and I don't know if you knew this, but *kids can get in and out of the car completely on their own*! it is WILD!!!
Game changer. Except when it’s raining and they’re taking their sweet freaking time getting out of the car. Because they can’t ask silly questions and continue moving at the same time 😂😂😂
My youngest is a college Senior, so I am soon saying goodbye to a school year calendar driven vacation schedule, and am looking forward to empty nesting in a few years. I have a college grad daughter working and living at home, and I assume if my son gets a job in our town he will do the same. So, starting that glide to what my husband and I want to do in this next phase is a glimmer in. my eye.
My 3 year old daughter has transitioned to full time (9-3!) preschool 5 days a week; we had a full time nanny before this. I have been caught by surprise at how difficult the changes have been for us both; for her, the newness of school, new adults to learn to trust, a group setting, less 1:1 time and home time, and the “loss” of her nanny. For me, grief around what feels like the sudden loss of a trusted co parent of mine (our nanny), feelings of doubt that come with tear filled drop offs each morning, and just missing seeing my daughter at home in between meetings. It’s one of those markers in time that makes me ask myself - did I just miss it all? I have faith that we’ll all adjust and that this is ultimately a wonderful setting for her development, but right now it just feels sad and hard.
Oof the new adult factor is HUGE. I feel so much love for all the trusted coparents I've had the privilege of knowing in my kids' lives. And so much grief when they're no longer regular parts of our lives!
My almost three year old is in full time day care year round but we're expecting a baby on his birthday in a few months. The due date is his exact birthday. He's usually such a sweet kid but he's not adjusting to the sudden transitions happening around him well - I'm entering my third and slowing down a lot, his best friend is moving out of state, my office is turning into a nursery with all his old furniture, etc. It's been tough because I want to love on him but all he wants to do is push me away or demand things I cannot give. We've tried explaining everything in both kids-terms and as you would for an adult, but the reality is that it is hard for everyone. I keep telling myself it's just a season of life and we'll find a new path eventually but that seems so far away right now.
The school year brings a whole new level of sanity that the end of summer break rips away violently (and often without warning). One week I’m happy as can be to be doing all the things and planning the adventures with my kid and the next I have an unyielding urge to slap a “for have” sign on her and put her at the end of the driveway.
This is the first year she has a REALLY long day. 730-330. In a school with a highly expectant and rigorous curriculum. Her brain is sufficiently mush when she gets home and it all points me back to a feeling of “I made the right ‘mom’ decisions to put her here” combined with a “have I created a zombie?”
It will balance out and come May, I’ll be ready to start the summer break sanity cycle all over again.
Sometimes I just offer to let her sleep in the backyard when she’s acting crazy and my patience is see through. She mostly gets the picture at that point 😂😂😂 I don’t know who let us be parents, sometimes.
My oldest started kindergarten. He is neurodivergent (whether it's just ADHD or something else in the mix is up in the air) and preschool was rough. We had to pull him from preschool three weeks before kindergarten started after he sent a teacher to urgent care. Kindergarten starting for us has been a lot of mental load with a long ramp up with iep meetings, hiring a special ed advocate, and doing everything we can to set him up for success. It's also a huge difference for us in that they can't kick him out and are less likely to call and have us pick him up so suddenly, after six months, we have stable childcare rather than looking at our phones and wondering if we're going to get called to pick our kid up early today. My youngest, four weeks in, is doing great so far in kindergarten. He's definitely getting more stimulation and has a lot more support than he did during the preschool years. Also the school bus is great for our morning routine. My husband and I have adhd and getting out the door in the morning was really hard for us with the kids with daycare. My son cares about getting to the school bus, loves playing with a friend of his before the bus comes, and it makes our mornings go a lot smoother.
We had camps most weeks for my now-first grader but I also expected my recently retired parents to be able to help out more. For various reasons, that didn’t work out. The last few weeks of summer were stressful for me at work and at home and school didn’t start until the Wednesday after Labor Day so I am just thrilled to have school and an after school program for my kid. And I continue to be grateful for our daycare for my younger kiddo, which is super reliable for us.
I have cried a lot about my youngest starting kindergarten, I didn’t cry at all with my 7 yo two years ago. Part of it is he seems so much younger as a June baby compared to my January baby. My 5 yo is NOT a morning person so that has made the transition to an earlier day tougher and so far we have had 4 rough Mondays on our extended year schedule with him not getting up and making our morning very rushed. I asked his teacher if he seemed ok at curriculum night because he has been more emotional at exactly 6:45 pm every night. She reassured me he seems to be doing great and not falling apart at school. My therapist has heard a lot about me navigating this transition.
Our bus comes way too early for them to ride it to school (6:30 am) but they ride it home and I appreciate my boys being together and seeing them high five or fist bump the bus driver every day. My husband is in season for HS soccer and leaves for practice about 10 minutes after our kids get home but at least they have small moments before he has to leave. Because their Y practices for their youth soccer leagues are later at night on back to back nights he’s also able to come across the street to see the kids at practice and take them home. We are still working on prepping dinner in any way on sports days, there’s been a lot of bagged Caesar salad and chicken strips.
I got very caught up in doomscrolling after the GA shooting last week, I kept reading Kate Baer poetry which is beautifully written but gutting and I hate that I have go to school shooting poetry to read at these times. I am very invested in supporting public education and I hate that we haven’t protected our children. My mom talked me out of wearing my Make it Stop anti gun button to the fun run last week at my kids’ school but I still wore my Harris/Walz buttons.
Oh man, the kindergarten bedtime meltdowns are REAL. Solidarity Elizabeth!
I love the under-represented milestones like:
It's been two years since any of my kids pissed on me.
It's been a day since my 8 year old said I smell of rotten eggs.
It's been a month since I've had to wipe an ass.
No turds have tumbled out of towels in five weeks.
Boom! Winning at parenting life
This is the first year I am only paying for after-school childcare for one kid - my oldest is 9 and can be trusted to entertain herself for the 1.5 hours between bus drop-off and when my husband and I are done working (from home). So that's nice. But with them getting older, there are more activities and sports and after-school things and the schedule adjustment has been tough, especially since we are early dinner, early bedtime people. I've had to let go of a lot of my ideas about "good" dinners and just get anything on the table - sometimes it's just cheese, crackers, fruit and veggies, which is coincidentally one of my kids' favorite dinners 🤣 Meal prepping on the weekends has also become a must. I do love this stage of life though, it's really fun watching them find out what they like and what they're good at.
Yup totally (also an early dinner/early bedtime family). It's def a circus at nighttime, but I agree it's a fun stage! I shocked myself by kinda loving soccer games lol.
I actually love youth soccer. Adult league not so much, but indoor would be fun if my husbands games weren’t at 9!
I was shocked to learn I'm That Mom at the soccer games who can't sit down and shut up 😅 I can't help it, I was a cheerleader! That yelling-encouragement-from-the-sidelines instinct never goes away!
3 weeks ago today, I dropped my oldest off at a college three hours away. I went to visit him last week on Monday to celebrate his birthday a day early since he had the day off of school. It’s been a super rough 3 weeks for me. I’m not adjusting well 😂
My youngest is in his last year of junior high. Next year all 3 younger ones will be in high school, and my second oldest will graduate. It all seems surreal. There was a time, when I was so busy parenting four young kids, that I couldn’t fathom how life would be when they were teens.
Oh man I bet it DOES seem surreal!!
My neurospicy 3 year old started preschool for the first time last week (3x a week, partial day.) We’re in the throes of drop-off meltdowns, making new routines, and helping her feel safe in the midst of all the changes. This is SO hard.
SO SO HARD. Sending love!
This summer I finally converted the 3-in-1 carseat to a booster and I don't know if you knew this, but *kids can get in and out of the car completely on their own*! it is WILD!!!
bahahahahah
Game changer. Except when it’s raining and they’re taking their sweet freaking time getting out of the car. Because they can’t ask silly questions and continue moving at the same time 😂😂😂
We did this in my car and IS wild! Turns out my kid can even open and close the sliding door by herself! What!
*Of course the climbing in and buckling and door closing all depends on her mood lololol
Mine can FINALLY reach to roll down his own window!
My youngest is a college Senior, so I am soon saying goodbye to a school year calendar driven vacation schedule, and am looking forward to empty nesting in a few years. I have a college grad daughter working and living at home, and I assume if my son gets a job in our town he will do the same. So, starting that glide to what my husband and I want to do in this next phase is a glimmer in. my eye.
a HUGE shift for sure!
My 3 year old daughter has transitioned to full time (9-3!) preschool 5 days a week; we had a full time nanny before this. I have been caught by surprise at how difficult the changes have been for us both; for her, the newness of school, new adults to learn to trust, a group setting, less 1:1 time and home time, and the “loss” of her nanny. For me, grief around what feels like the sudden loss of a trusted co parent of mine (our nanny), feelings of doubt that come with tear filled drop offs each morning, and just missing seeing my daughter at home in between meetings. It’s one of those markers in time that makes me ask myself - did I just miss it all? I have faith that we’ll all adjust and that this is ultimately a wonderful setting for her development, but right now it just feels sad and hard.
Oof the new adult factor is HUGE. I feel so much love for all the trusted coparents I've had the privilege of knowing in my kids' lives. And so much grief when they're no longer regular parts of our lives!
My almost three year old is in full time day care year round but we're expecting a baby on his birthday in a few months. The due date is his exact birthday. He's usually such a sweet kid but he's not adjusting to the sudden transitions happening around him well - I'm entering my third and slowing down a lot, his best friend is moving out of state, my office is turning into a nursery with all his old furniture, etc. It's been tough because I want to love on him but all he wants to do is push me away or demand things I cannot give. We've tried explaining everything in both kids-terms and as you would for an adult, but the reality is that it is hard for everyone. I keep telling myself it's just a season of life and we'll find a new path eventually but that seems so far away right now.
The school year brings a whole new level of sanity that the end of summer break rips away violently (and often without warning). One week I’m happy as can be to be doing all the things and planning the adventures with my kid and the next I have an unyielding urge to slap a “for have” sign on her and put her at the end of the driveway.
This is the first year she has a REALLY long day. 730-330. In a school with a highly expectant and rigorous curriculum. Her brain is sufficiently mush when she gets home and it all points me back to a feeling of “I made the right ‘mom’ decisions to put her here” combined with a “have I created a zombie?”
It will balance out and come May, I’ll be ready to start the summer break sanity cycle all over again.
I feel you so hard on the “for have” sign! And it made me laugh 🤣
Sometimes I just offer to let her sleep in the backyard when she’s acting crazy and my patience is see through. She mostly gets the picture at that point 😂😂😂 I don’t know who let us be parents, sometimes.
My oldest started kindergarten. He is neurodivergent (whether it's just ADHD or something else in the mix is up in the air) and preschool was rough. We had to pull him from preschool three weeks before kindergarten started after he sent a teacher to urgent care. Kindergarten starting for us has been a lot of mental load with a long ramp up with iep meetings, hiring a special ed advocate, and doing everything we can to set him up for success. It's also a huge difference for us in that they can't kick him out and are less likely to call and have us pick him up so suddenly, after six months, we have stable childcare rather than looking at our phones and wondering if we're going to get called to pick our kid up early today. My youngest, four weeks in, is doing great so far in kindergarten. He's definitely getting more stimulation and has a lot more support than he did during the preschool years. Also the school bus is great for our morning routine. My husband and I have adhd and getting out the door in the morning was really hard for us with the kids with daycare. My son cares about getting to the school bus, loves playing with a friend of his before the bus comes, and it makes our mornings go a lot smoother.
We had camps most weeks for my now-first grader but I also expected my recently retired parents to be able to help out more. For various reasons, that didn’t work out. The last few weeks of summer were stressful for me at work and at home and school didn’t start until the Wednesday after Labor Day so I am just thrilled to have school and an after school program for my kid. And I continue to be grateful for our daycare for my younger kiddo, which is super reliable for us.
YES - the calming of the schedule feels so good.