"Mommy Bye-Bye School"

"Mommy Bye-Bye School"
Originally uploaded by rhondamt

Lizzie started her new preschool this week. For two weeks, we have been gearing up for "Mommy Bye-Bye" school. I explained over and over again that Lizzie was a big three year old now and she goes to school by herself and that I can't stay. She would dutifully nod and repeat my sentence, but I had a feeling it wasn't going to go well. After all, my girl and I have been together just about 24-7 for two years. Her other school was a Mommy and Me. All her speech therapy has involved me for the most part. Sure, I have left her with my parents, and my in-laws, but only well after she was very comfortable with me leaving. We have a weekly sitter, Kara, whom Lizzie loves. She comes to the house and plays anything and everything that Lizzie asks. Even that separation was pretty much well with-in Lizzie's comfort level. I didn't leave her with Kara until she had been over to the house with me around first. And then Kara's first few months were babysitting after I had put Lizzie to bed and Lizzie would sleep through the two hours that I was gone. You know she is very clingy and dependent on me. She really NEEDS me.

Or maybe not so much. The first day of class we walked up and she strode right in like she owned the place (we had visited before to prepare her). She turned and gave me a sweet kiss on the cheek, firmly told me, "Bye-Bye," and headed off to the activity the teacher had put out. She only turned to wave again after I said something like, "Okaaaaaay, Mom is really leaving now." Or maybe not that exactly, but something equally as pathetic. I slowly backed out, and began the hovering in the hallway. I couldn't leave, you see, because she was going to need me. Any moment. Obviously, any time now she would realize I was gone and freak out. Of course she would.

Except she didn't. So, after about five minutes of lurking about, I slowly headed down the hallway. I was a little sad...for about three seconds and then my steps quickened and and I all but sprinted to my car giggling the whole way. How heartless you might say...but any mom of three kids ages 8-3 knows to have them all happily in school for two plus hours simultaneously is nothing to take for granted. You don't scoff at two free hours a day when you have THREE children. You respect that time and you appreciate it for the gift that it is. Those, my friends, are GOLDEN hours. Besides, I was probably going to get the "You must return, your daughter is inconsolable and can only be comforted by you." call. So I had a lot of errands to run.

It didn't come, by the way. Lizzie was happy the entire 165 minutes. The teacher said, "She did GREAT!" This continued all week. When Lizzie sees her school she gleefully kicks her feet and squeals, "My school! My school!" She marches in with her backpack and insists that Nate and I not step past the threshhold. It's her class. She's happy to see me at 2:30 pm and usually konks right out in the car ride home, but she is never anxious to leave.

Needless to say, I am tentatively thrilled. I keep thinking she will realize she has to do this four days a week and balk, but she really seems to be so happy that she has a school to attend too. I guess all those trips to the boys school to drop off, pick up, garden, attend parties and assemblies have made her want to have that experience herself. She LOVES her new class.

And I am loving my golden hours each day.