Oh, hello denial! I didn’t see you standing there. I was too busy pretending that sending T.Puzzle to kindergarten was a breeze.
Basically, this kindergarten thing has been fine and dandy with me as long as I could accurately predict T.Puzzle’s behavior. It’s when he starts going rogue on me and all of a sudden exhibits very Full Speed-like tendencies that all bets are off.
I was perfectly happy dropping him off as long as Full Speed escorted him to his class. Things became dicey this week when he announced that he would no longer need Full Speed’s assistance and he would be walking in ‘all by myself!’ from here on out.
Now, I expected and accepted this kind of independent streak from Full Speed. While I knew T.Puzzle had it in him, I thought that it would take a little longer to express on school grounds, like in ten years or so (ah, yes, there’s that lovely denial again).
As I watched T.Puzzle march to the entrance alone it felt like a bullet straight through my heart.
I will never be the same again and quite thankfully, neither will he. I’m proud of his confidence and this softens the edges of the hurt I feel as I realize that everything has changed.
Mothers and kids must learn to separate, ‘bullet’ wounds eventually heal and the love a mother has for their child is always with them, even when they march their way towards independence.
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- On Embracing My Babies Becoming Kindergarteners (curlybirds.typepad.com)
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