In an email exchange with BBM this morning, she used this phrase to describe today-mother moments. That's exactly what today is, a mother moment. It's Builder Boy's last day of preschool. And while he will be going to another year of preschool at his new school, today is still an end. And these milestones, while exciting, are bittersweet.
I've been a bit of a wreck today about it. I guess I am over-sentimental. But there are so many aspects of leaving preschool that leave me feeling sad, for me and for Builder Boy. There will be no more walking to school, or playing on the school grounds after school, or sneaking in during his class when I have forgotten his lunch/show and tell/etc. There will be no more mother conversations when we drop off the kids, leaving us even less time while they are at school. These relationships were temporary, a two year run. Most kids are going to all different schools next year, and so will the moms. While a few will last beyond, most will just be quick hellos when we bump into one another at the grocery store. And while I know I will meet the new mothers next year, this group of preschool moms have a common bond...the bond of leaving your child for the first time and walking away, unsure and terrified. That first day last year, we all walked away a bit shell-shocked...me sobbing right there, most others waiting until they got to their cars. When we came back together two hours later, we were all tired, missing our kids, faces streaked with mascara. But we did it. And we laughed together at the absurdity of it, though none of us thought our feelings were absurd.
The kids, too, will move on. To new teachers, new schools, new friends. Very few will keep in touch (it is preschool, after all), but some will. I believe that Builder Boy and his best friend will continue being friends, at least for awhile. This will help their transition to their new schools. Still, it gives me pause and makes me think of all the people we encounter in life that we "move on" from. All the people who have touched our lives in some capacity, changed us, made us better (or worse), who we lose touch with as our lives change and grow.
This is a mother moment..I am proud of how far Builder Boy has come this past two years and grateful to his teachers for helping him in this growth. He shares better. He plays better. He communicates better. He has learned to write some, recognize letters and numbers. He's made ridiculous amounts of crafts (kicking and screaming, but hey, they got done!) and learned a ton of songs. He prays better. He understands more of how we all fit into this large world.
It is tough to watch him grow up in what seems like warp speed. I know that in the blink of an eye, he will be graduating from college and moving on with his life. Both Remodel Man and I try to remember this even in those pull-your-hair-out-moments. This is all going so fast.
So here's to Builder Boy's last day of preschool. Here's to two years of growth for both of us and here's to all the wonderful school memories in his future. And here's to yet another mother moment...
