I Did It

[mean_mommy]

I made a person. A real, live person with a life independent of mine, who goes on about his day while I go on about mine, our paths crossing only in the afternoon, at the end of the day. Someone whose peers will now influence him almost as much as I do, whose teacher will know things about him that I don't. A person with an inner life who is, as I

Comments

Separation Anxiety

[anonymous]

Ash, I totally related to this fantastic post. I used to feel like I was sending my son to the coal mines watching him march towards school with a backpack nearly as big as him on his small shoulders. My son has sensory issues so I am well aquainted with "the face."
Anytime you start to feel angsty about sending off into the big, bad world all by himself remember the alternative...having him home.

[anonymous]

Awww.. It is hard to leave them, isn't it? I felt like I was dropping my son off into a big black hole from which he might return at the end of the day, but I wouldn't know what all had happened in between. If it's any consolation, though, knowing how to put on a brave face for the day shows he's ready to take it on. (And also, you should see how many falling apart kids there actually are in kindergarten - it actually sounds like Owen's doing GREAT!)

Ooops!

[anonymous]

I meant to sign, but couldn't figure out how - it was RachelW, on the last one.

[mean_mommy]

It's nice to hear that you think he's doing well! I was surprised that he wasn't more upset about going this morning. Thanks to both of you for the encouragement and understanding. And sorry that LiveJournal makes it such a pain to sign in for comments.

[beyondthemap]

I'm new to your blog and wanted to tell you how much this post meant to me. My own three and a half year old son has his own very intense set of fears and helping him learn to cope is an ongoing process. It hurts to love them so much, doesn't it?
Thank-you for your honesty. I am grateful to have found you.