Don't Forget the Tutu
Bethany StewartYears ago, when I was a teacher at Little Friends, I can remember having a good laugh one day when we looked in a little boy’s bag for spare clothing and found nothing but a pink tutu. The parents were good natured and had a good laugh along with us, but I know there was a certain amount of judgement there on my part. I’m sure I was thinking something like...
“A tutu? Really? That's what this poor boy has for spare clothes? What goes on in that house?”
Because, after all, what’s so hard about sending your child to school every day with everything you’re asked to bring? How hard could this parenting or this parenting plus career thing be?
To those parents, and to all parents that I, in my ignorant bliss, judged, I sincerely apologize.
Here’s a quick list of things I thought I’d never do...
Forget my child’s lunchbox at home.
Check.
Send my child with her lunch in a huge cooler because I ordered the pretty flowered lunchboxes too late.
Check.
Arrive at school with no spare clothing for my child (not even a pink tutu).
Check.
Carry my child into school kicking and screaming.
Check.
Carry my child out of school kicking and screaming.
Check.
Have two people arrive separately to pick up my child from school because my husband and I didn’t coordinate our plans (by the way, her school is 40 minutes away. Ouch.)
Check.
Send the wrong lunch with the wrong child, inadvertently smuggling a peanut butter grenade into a nut free zone.
Check.
Remember the store bought Christmas gifts for my kindergartner’s teachers, but misplace the gifts that were actually made for them by my daughter.
Check.
Find aforementioned handmade gifts in February and enthusiastically present them to my daughter to give to her teachers as Valentine’s Day gifts.
Check.
Accept that I am not the perfect mom, but I am the perfect mom for my girls.
Check.
Reader Comments (1)
I never thought I would pick another person's nose (my children's of course). Or smell behind an ear for more than two minutes ;)