Today it hit me...

my child now has a life that I will not always be a part of. Yes, Will has attended Mother's Day Out programs in the past and yes I started working part-time this summer, but for the first time I really feel like Will has this other world that I'm only a little bit a part of. I know it's only two days a week, but still!

On Tuesday and Thursday when he got home I found myself looking for his nonexistent "daily report" to see how he ate at lunch, how long he napped, whether he had a BM (sorry but it's true!), how his mood was, etc. I've always had this before--Now I get whatever Will tells me. There's no more picking him up in his classroom and chatting with his teacher as she tells me some funny story about what he did that day or which kid he always plays with on the playground. Now it's staying in my car while someone loads him in as we process through the carpool line.

On Tuesday Will hopped in the car and gave me a full report. Thursday (only day 2 mind you) he didn't care to elaborate. Don't get me wrong--I get that what was appropriate for a Mother's Day Out class with a handful of kids in the class and only a few classes total is not appropriate for a school with approximately 500 kids grades PK3 - 8th grade trying to get sent home in less than an hour (all getting into a parent's car--no buses), but it still doesn't make it any easier. Guess I better jump on every classroom volunteer spot available...

I don't think of myself as a "helicopter mom", but I find myself looking out my office window during his recess time to see who he's playing with and which part of the playground he's exploring. His teacher has sent a short "classroom daily report" both days, but I'm not sure if that continues or not and it's pretty general. I know this is only the beginning of a wild ride that will only speed up as we continue along the track, but this momma is not quite ready for all this!