Yesterday morning DS1’s new school had an informal pre-school get together in the school playground. It was scheduled for a little earlier than I would have liked, so I really made a huge effort to attend. I thought it would be good for DS to show me his new school and get more used to the new environment and it would be good for me to meet some of the parents. Well, sometimes good intentions are just that- intentions.
We pulled up to the playground and DS refused to go in. When I asked why he said, “because you’re going to leave me.” Of course I reassured him that I was not going to be leaving him there and he could hold my hand the entire time, but that was not enough. DS1 is extremely stubborn and once he decides he’s not going to do something it’s hard to change his mind. Add that to a huge amount of mom-guilt and I was not going to force him to go. We spent about 30 minutes just walking around the school building and talking, but I still couldn’t get him to go in. In the end, we just got in the car and left. Needless to say, I was hugely disappointed that things didn’t turn out the way I planned.Â
I’ve written in the past about how hard it is when people assume you are abandoning your children by working full-time, but imagine when your own child tells you he feels abandoned! It’s the worst feeling in the world and just made me want to give into all of his requests, no matter how absurd they were. I know that going to a new school is for his own good, but I also wish that he would see it that way, even though he’s only three years old. I know in the future he will, but right now, all I could do is reassure him how much I love him and will always come back for him.
Until next time,
Shaindy
