Now that my kids are getting older it’s harder to watch their every move. I want to make them into independent contributors, which means that I have to trust them. They are more than capable of getting themselves dressed, brushing their teeth and feeding themselves breakfast (see how we do self-serve breakfast).
Things Working Moms Wish Teachers Knew
While I do try to ensure that they accomplish these tasks each morning, I cannot guarantee that they are always done to perfection, so I want teachers to know these few things before they judge me:
- If a child doesn’t eat his entire breakfast, I may not notice. Not because I don’t care, but because at 7:30am, I also need to get ready and get out of the house.
- If my child goes to school with a dirty shirt, it doesn’t mean he put it on that way. It just means that he spilled his breakfast on it and didn’t care enough to change it. And I didn’t care enough to fight with him about changing it.
- If I do not answer the phone when you call to discuss my child’s progress, it doesn’t mean I don’t care or that I do not know how to prioritize. It simply means that I have a job and sometimes I cannot rearrange my entire schedule to fit yours at that very moment.
- I do read school newsletters and review class projects – please don’t act surprised that I do this, even though I may sometimes forget to sign the homework form. No one is perfect.
I may work long hours, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know what’s going on with my kids. I try my best to be the best mom out there and my kids are well taken care of and extremely loved.
Now I realize that these things probably apply to moms who don’t work too. Do I take these things too personally? Maybe. Do I feel like I’m being judged because I’m not always the one who does homework with my kids? Probably. Do I feel a huge amount of mom-guilt when these things happen? Definitely.
Until next time,
Shaindy
