There’s a strange thing that happens when your kid starts school. Anytime you find yourself in the vicinity of a school-related person/building/event, you cease to be “You,” and instead become “Your Kid’s Mom.” This was true for me from the very first time we set foot in my daughter Eva’s school, and to be honest, I felt a little thrill over it.

Being identified as “Eva’s Mom” meant that my daughter was taking her first steps out into the world, independent of me and her father. School is her place, her territory, and, welcoming though her school is, when we walk through the doors, I’m on her turf. I “belong to” her–I’m Eva’s Mom.

For as hard as it’s been for me to let go (My baby!) as she’s begun finding her own way bit by bit, it’s really been wonderful to witness her self-assurance growing daily, and to sense her feelings of belonging as she marches confidently into the building each morning.

I volunteer at her school once a week in the mornings. On those mornings, I get the pleasure of accompanying my daughter into school as she navigates the hallways, making her way to her cubby. Along the way, she greets people she knows while I smile politely. She points out interesting new artwork on the walls and the light fixture that needed a new bulb last week. And every single week, she directs me toward the library where I serve my volunteer hours, just in case I forgot where it was since the last time I was in the building. 

Her school truly is hers. And I’m so proud to be “just” Eva’s Mom.

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla Blogger