There’s a children’s book by Rosemary Wells, titled: Mama Don’t Go! If you aren’t familiar, it’s about a little girl named Yoko, who’s excited to start school and make new friends. But the problem is, she doesn’t want her mom to leave. So she stays. Eventually, they take baby steps, until one day the mom says she needs to run to the ‘store’ and buy some ‘milk,’ but that she will be right back. In the story, this works. And when she comes back, it helps reinforce that she ‘will always come back.’ Sweet, isn’t it?
Sounds kind of like the story of us – my daughter and I. Except, my daughter could never be so easily manipulated, nor tricked. It’s worth mentioning, I’d also bought her this book in preparation for preschool, and after one night of reading it, I found it in our garbage can the next day.
Needless to say, today, was the first day after many weeks of staying at her school for me to try and get a quick ‘coffee,’ as my first attempt to start the transition and ease her into school without my presence. Let me just add, her personality is fierce, and leans more towards the kind like: I wanna come with you. Oh, I know you’ll come back. I just don’t want you to go. Period. She knows what she wants. She’s sharp. And has eyes and ears in the back of her head. It was hard.
But I did it. We both did it. And it wasn’t too bad. The teachers stayed with her the entire time. Point is, I was gone for about 10 minutes max. Barely even walked around the block. And then I came right back in to show exactly what the book was trying to show. That, Mama always comes back. But when I walked in, she looked up at me with these all knowing eyes, and not with the extreme joy and happiness that I had envisioned, but the saddest and most pathetic sobbing cry I had ever seen. She then proceeded to collapse into my arms. Important to note, this melodrama lasted about a minute and everything was A-ok again.
Which prefaces nicely, Els’ quote of the day. Right before bedtime. Pen poised in her hand. Notebook sitting opened on her lap.
That’s my girl, for ya. That’s my girl.
Oh, and I still do highly recommend that book! Transition from home with mom to preschool is hard. And this book at the very least helps your little one become more aware of what’s to come and how it will transpire and end.
For similar parenting posts, check out my 10 mistakes and lessons learned as a first time mom. And my 10 things that make you go #$%^& as a mom!
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