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August 26, 2009
I'm totally going to take the credit for her
Ahhh, the kids are in bed. My favorite time of the day.
Today was Jamie's third day of school, and I think I'm mostly adjusted to the fact that on one random day, then for the next nine months, I shove her out the door at earlyfreakingthirty in the morning to play and learn with others for the next seven hours. Somehow, that seemed even odder to me this year than last. What I haven't adjusted to is the crazy early wake-up we've had to return to. For the first time since I had kids, I was finally getting to sleep in a reasonable amount almost every day, thanks to the combination of summer vacation, PBS and Owen's ability to actually sleep in if he's tired.
I finally understand why parents like summer break.
Back to Jamie's first day. Jamie loves school. The kids, the teachers, the special activities. She has no hesitation or nervousness or social anxiety. She actually said, "and tomorrow I get to wake up EARLY!"
Had I not heaved her from my body, I would not believe that child is mine.
I cried every night before the first day of school. Would my friends still like me? What if I didn't know anybody? What if everything I knew about school was different this year.
It's a wonder I'm not on mood enhancers.
I still have the same issues today. If I'm invited to a girl's night, I worry no one else will show up. (The horror is just as bad if I'm hosting, since I've actually *had* no one show up.) The house isn't lit like a Christmas tree? Maybe I came on the wrong night. What if no one wants to talk to me? What if I say something incredibly stupid? (Again, I have precedent.)
Jamie is so confident that she just assumes that everyone will like her, that they will want to play her games, her way, and listen to her go on and on with all the rules. I keep worrying that some mean kid (or let's face it, one that just gets fed up with her bossy bossiness) is going to take her down a peg, but I'm not entirely sure Jamie has any pegs below freakishly overconfident.
I'm so glad that she doesn't seem to have many worries, that her fears are usually simple and short-lived. I'm not sure how I created that creature, through my amazing genetics or my stellar parenting or through sheer dumb luck, but I'm so grateful that she's mine.
Posted by me at August 26, 2009 8:03 PM