Sam was the first one on the bus at her bus stop this morning.
She tried to pull the "Mom, I just don't wanna go to school cuz I'm afraid I'm going to miss you" (here comes my favorite part) "very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, VERY, very, very much."
So I pulled her against me, held her as tightly as she should would allow, and told her I would miss her very, very, very, very, very, very, VERY much, too. "But," I said, "if you're at school and realize you miss me, all you have to do is tell Mrs. Bangert, and she will help you. She knows how to help kids who miss their mommies."
And then I said, "Hey -- aren't you missing 'The Little Mermaid'?" (which I put on this morning to help distract her) And her eyes lit up and she sprinted off.
She was a little reluctant, too, as we headed out the door, but then I spotted the day's saving grace: Her new best friend, Jaylyn, was standing at the bus stop.
Apparently, Jaylyn's mommy and daddy drove her to school the first two days, but Jaylyn insisted she wanted to ride the bus.
So Sam darted over -- after looking both ways before crossing the street, of course -- and wrapped her arms around Jaylyn.
Then she turned to me and said, "Oh, Mom, we just forgot something important. We forgot my suitcase again." (that's her bookbag, in case you're confused)
Funny -- two minutes before that, she didn't want to carry her suitcase at all. But since Jaylyn was wearing hers, Sammy needed to look just the same.
Today, I love peer pressure.
Tomorrow, I have no idea what will happen.
Stay tuned! And let me know how your kids are doing with school and day care starting.
Please, please, please, please (get the point?) keep these entries coming. As a non-parent by choice, but child-lover anyway, it's so incredibly refreshing to read about parents who actually enjoy their kid's company-- and vice versa. A lot of what I see is unhappy moms yanking on the crying kid's arm at the grocery store. Next time out, look for yourself-- how many parents are really enjoying their kids?
Sometimes, it's downright scary.